Spark of Bots: Jazzol
by mamabot
Summary: Contimuation of Orion's Star. Jazzol, Ratchet's son and adult Miko cross paths. She tells him the truth to his parents with a twist (Miko style) his life is altered forever. Infact, following in his parent's pede steps. One that will forever lead him down a path he did nto think possible and Miko, never thought she would ever have. No warnings, no promises.
1. Chapter 1

Prime Blood's Spark of Bots: Jazzol

**Chapter 1**

Jazzol Mecano (my OC from my Prime Blood Universe) {see Heart Wrenched for his parent's story and Orion's Star for his childhood}

Miko Nakadai (Hasbro's TFP)

~~00~~

Sitting in the car doing babysitting/surveillance duty, she watches as his trim lithe form slides from the white H3 trimmed in red and black into the elevator. Activating the lap top beside her, she watches him in the elevator, removing his tie, loosing the top couple of buttons and rolling his neck. True he isn't broad shouldered and beefy like his father, no that would be his twin brother, but he is still a fine, fine specimen of a man. The elevator dings, and he exits.

Miko Nakadai (in her thirties) watches the late forty year old red headed robotics' genius and EMC secret Commander strides down the hall removing his jacket. He's been up late, pushing some heavy hours lately for the new project, but he still seems wide awake. A bit tense too. Wonder why?

He pulls out a key and enters his personal suite. As soon as he steps in, he turns looping his suit jacket over a picture. It cuts out the video feed Miko has to his key pad alarm. She isn't going to get the alarm code that way. Then he turns around, smiles to the camera, and puts a sticker over the lens.

"Scrap!" Miko bot-swears. "How does he do that?" For the last six weeks she has been trying to hack video feeds into his suite. But every time, he finds them. One by one, he's done it again tonight. Accept for one.

In his bedroom, she watches him slowly remove his expensive soft cotton dress shirt and toss it into the hamper. He carefully hangs up his soft blue azure tie that so matches the color of his and his father's eyes. Striding through the room, shirtless, she gets a chance to see he is in excellent shape. The shape of a trained, skilled, lithe sleek soldier. And she's seen her fair share of soldiers in action. He slowly removes his belt, stows it, then carefully removes the contents of his pockets setting it all in the bedside table drawer. Ever, ever so slowly, he removes his slacks and hangs them up on the cherry wood dressing frame. Oh, nice firm thighs and calves. A tattoo on one, but of what she still hasn't figured out.

Now she smirks. Bastard knows the camera is there and is playing with the viewer. But does he know it's her? He enters the bathroom, closing the door, therefore ending the show. Miko smirks shaking her head. She was just going to have to find a way to get inside that suite. And find out about that tattoo that is driving her absolutely nuts!

Shutting down the lap top, she is back to babysitting duty in the parking garage. Her mind begins to wander. When was the first time she had seen Doctor Jazzol Praxis Mecano? Aw, yes. It was back in Jasper, Nevada.

**{flashback}** Miko, all of fifteen pushing sixteen, was in the rec room with Bee and Raff, when she thought she heard Optimus laugh. Oh now that's a sound that has to be investigated. Bulkhead tells her to stay put, but turns back to his painting. Ever so softly, Miko disobeys the suggestion tiptoeing down the hallway.

Hearing the sound of two soft mech voices, Miko makes her way to Ratchet's private quarters. Sure enough, there is Ratchet and Optimus talking softly. Ratchet's tone ever so proud tapping the screen before him.

"Internship at the same hospital as Connie."

Optimus cocks his head in a slight tilt, "That's no surprise, Ratchet, seriously."

Ratchet chuckles, "No, not really, I guess. Except I'm surprised he would stay so close to his mother. I figured him to be a bit more independent."

Optimus turns to his friend fully, crossing his arms and scoffing, "No you aren't. Why was it he decided to go into emergency medicine? Hummm?"

Ratchet scratches the back of his helm flushing in embarrassment. Finally he mutters, "Um, said it was as close to his father's detail and still allow him to come home to his family more often." Optimus smirks to him.

Miko nearly gasps seeing that kind of expression kind on Prime's face.

"Now, what about Jazzol?" Optimus prods.

Ratchet beams, "Takes after his mother."

Optimus chuckles. Miko quickly stifles her gasp at Prime amused as well. Ratchet's laugh is musical harmony joined with Optimus' deep baritone. Miko just stands in awe. Truly they have been friends a very long time. Long enough to tease each other past the lines of officer and duty. Yes respectful to keep it behind -what they thought- closed doors.

Ratchet continues, "Well, EMC has approached him already, civilian side. Did you have anything to do with that?" Optimus shrugs, not giving a clear answer. Ratchet brings up a fist to his friend's nose, "I swear… there's a reason why…"

Optimus puts a tender hand over the weapon lowering it, "Listen to me, Ratchet. We need all the allies we can get in this world. He is a genius. The projects he has already designed are useful and saved many lives. EMC had to get to him before MECH or some other corrupt organization. I made it clear, no contact with bots. Strictly civilian industrial work only. Yet he still has to carry the title of an officer."

Ratchet yanks away from his friend clearing the screen for Miko's full view, "He's my-"

"Whoa! Who are the hunks?!" Miko gasps from the hall. The two mechs swing their heads to the hall and gasp in surprise seeing her.

Miko's gaze is still locked onto the picture of two men on the screen. One with broad shoulders, strawberry blond hair, and a shy smile. The other more lithe, vibrant red hair in a haphazard style and a charming macho grin. (Like a certain medic hyped up on synthetic Energon.) Both men have stunningly beautiful azure blue eyes (not glowing optics like their "cousins") and white lab coats. The Japanese teenage girl is nearly drooling over the late twenty year old men.

Ratchet stumbles with his words trying to access the situation, "Ah, Miko. Um, what… did you hear?"

Miko smirks coming closer to the screen, "Are they real or some kind of awesome airbrush job?"

Ratchet is in shock but torn between several other emotions as well: fear, delight, a father's pride, and a father's horror. "Ah, they are quite real." Ratchet shoots a look to Optimus, who is amused and startled himself by her reaction… and then his optics go wide to the potential ramifications. "Why?" the medic/father almost snarls protectively.

Miko points to the deep red head, "That one is awesome eye candy. The other one isn't bad, but that one is, delicious." She turns to Ratchet, "What are their names and where can I get a glossy 8 x 10 or even a poster for my wall?"

Ratchet is still shocked, jaw falling in gape. Not just the fact she finds them attractive but her brazenness to say so, so openly. Miko takes it as if the older male-bot doesn't understand young-female-teen infatuation.

Some how Ratchet finds his voice, "Ah, the one on the right is Jazzol, the one on the left is Orion. You really think they are good looking? Even if they are, uh, about ten years older than you?"

Miko smiles broadly, "Oh Ratchet, you have so much to learn about humans." Ratchet shoots a look to Optimus who has quickly hidden his smirk behind a hand and crossed arms.

Miko doesn't see it, because Ratchet's questioning mock to Optimus has now quickly changed to one of narrowing scorn to the other father. Optimus leaves the medic's quarters swiftly, retreating to his own. Swiftly shutting the door, Miko could swear the strange noise coming from Prime's quarters can easily be translated to

_thud _a large bot falling to the floor,

_a deep rumbling, roaring_

could that be laughter? Deep throated near hysterical laughter. Did Optimus Prime just hit the floor laughing his aft off?

Ratchet's face begins to pinch into a firm scowl with help of fingers to the bridge of his nose, "Primus guide me." He picks Miko up by the collar of her shirt and drops her outside his quarters, then softly shuts the door in her face. She can hear Ratchet bellow through the intercom, "That wasn't funny, Optimus!" The noises from Prime's quarters only increase. {**end that flashback}**

It would be another eight years before Miko found out the truth to that moment. She never saw that photo again. And anytime she had tried to ask any bot about it, they all acted like she was crazy. And then Ratchet and Optimus would share a secret smirk-scowl.

And so here she sits now, outside the home of Ratchet's son. Miko smirks, "And Jazzol, you are still an awesome piece of eye candy. Like wine and sake, just more wonderful with age. Now, let me in. Let me know how I can get close to you."


	2. Chapter 2

Jazzol Chapter 2

Screaming thank you to my beta-mentor! I'ma gonna get them lost loosers fixed!

{figured we needed some background on Miko}

Major shout out to my dear friend Whatayamacholit for making Ratchet and Fowler such wonderful father figures in her TFP fic's. OHOS and Fraternizing. Yes, I got the idea for Bulkhead from her. Darbius Prime I think it her tag too.

Copyright: Jazzol & Orion Mechano, Starlex, Conbeanna (Connie), Earth Marine Corps all mine from my Prime Blood & Spark of Bots AU. All other Transformers and humans from TFP Hasbros.

Thank you Sabath for the musical muse If I Had You by Adam Lambert.

~~~00~~

Sitting in the car she watches as Jazzol turns off the lights and slip beneath the sheets of his large but empty bed. His hand spans out against the other pillow as if pining for someone.

Miko swallows hard and then leaves. She can't count how many times she has watched him go through this routine each night. All to soon, she is going to have to tell him the truth, but how? How can she tell him all this let alone the part she has played? It's still boggling her mind alone.

Driving back to her own secured hotel room, she ponders how she got from Japanese exchange student to officer in the Earth Marine Corps…

{flashback}

It all started innocently enough spying on the cute boy at school and ended up being a part of an intergalactic war. One moment she was just a lonely yet wild foreign exchange student and the next sneaking inside a massive enemy warship. One moment thinking she would never find a deep relationship like she hears in the novels, and the next moment praying that she will never feel this way ever again.

That moment in time lives over and over again in her nightmares: Like near-always she stowed away on an infiltration mission. She just wanted to see Prime in action and why did he have to take Jack with him yet leave her behind? The next moment… she's not really sure what happened. All she knows is there's an explosion. Prime, Arcee, Jack and herself all land on the ground at Bulkhead's pede. Actually, Jack lands at Bulkhead's pedes and she at Prime's and Arcee tossed to the side against the rock wall. Half a yard separates them. Half her heart goes up in a blaze of purple energy beam when Nemesis tries to destroy them all. Optimus curls down over the lowly female and dashes her away, Arcee being snatched onto his back in hasty retreat to save the only soldiers he can. There was nothing the Great Prime could do for the artistic Wrecker or Jackson Darby. It's all over in a violet flash.

Breaking the space bridge, the others all stare at remains of the team. Ratchet opens his mouth to say something, but quickly snaps it shut when he sees the familiar sink of Arcee's helm and the unfamiliar pallor of the silent Asian girl. Optimus remains on one knee and tries to think of something to say. There is nothing to be said. Miko vomits in his hand.

Is it surprising or was it not surprising that Ratchet takes Miko home? Bumblebee wraps his arm around stunned Arcee leading her silently away from unusually silent Smokescreen and grieving Wheeljack. From Ratchet's passenger seat, Miko looks after the hardened blue-pink warrior leaning heavily on the sun-bright scout understanding her stunning grief all too well.

Optimus is left with the horrid task of telling June Darby that her only gifted son was atomized back to his Maker. Something that tears through all of them.

Ratchet drives slower than Miko ever thought possible, not that she really cares. Kicking on his hologram, he reaches out and silently covers her hand. Too stunned, she can't cry. Finally he pulls over a few blocks from her house.

"I know this is a stupid question Miko, but the medic in me has to ask, are you alright?"

Her black and pink head shakes slowly back and forth negatively. Squeezing her hand, he presses in, "I know I can be difficult to be around, but I promise you, I am here for all of you. I've lost a few close friends in my time and I may seem all callused and cold, but right now my spark is bleeding something fierce. I can handle my grief, no stranger to it, but to see someone so spunky and young like you hurting for watching your friend, a youngling himself lost in war that is no yours-" he coughs feeling himself hitch with crushing emotions, "- we've lost younglings in the war before, yet it never gets easier. Most certainly not when they have the fortitude of a young Prime… Darbius Prime," he tries to smile. But her chin waivers. Swiftly he pulls her into his arms.

Her body is tense in tight emotion unable to accept his hug like she should. Understanding he lets her go, but cups her chin in tight fatherly love, "Miko, Raff is really going to need you. Please don't close him off, alright?" She doesn't even blink. Not a good sign.

He knows she needs to get to a place of silent refuge soon, so he carries on taking her home. At her temporary home, the EMT holoform explains to her foster parents that there had been an accident and one of her friends from school had been killed. He gave them some advice to keep and eye out for and made them promise to get her professional help if need be. Softly, the human guardians nod and head off to see to their young charge.

Heading back to base, Ratchet prays like he hasn't since his sons were born. He prays that his boys will never be involved in the horrors of their parents war, or any war for that matter.

It isn't more than a couple days later that the message comes in: Xanthium is on it's way to take a crew back to Cybertron. Ratchet, his brotherhood friend Ironhide and a couple other hidden Autobots will be on that shuttle. (It would be much later that Miko and Raff learned of the massacre taking those lives as well.) In a matter of a few days, all the Autobots are gone. The silo sealed up, Raff and Miko are left to silent lunches together at school.

Miko's grades drop even further threatening the status of her exchange program. Fowler finally comes to pick Miko up from school setting her on a new course in life:

"Miko, I need to talk to you." She says nothing in return as the battered Jeep takes her towards a military base. "I don't want you to say anything, I just want you to listen." Her tightly crossed arms and furious scowl to this field trip makes it clear she has no intentions of speaking. She hasn't said a word since that fatal day, (other that than a mumbled apology to Prime for the mess she made in his hand).

"My brother was killed in Vietnam." Her eyes pop, she knows about Vietnam. "My uncle in Korea, grandfather died in Japan." Now her jaw drops open. "I nearly died in Iraq, my girlfriend did." He flicks to a woman's ring on his key ring dangling from the running ignition. "Never got a chance to give it to her."

Miko sinks further into her seat. "I'm not telling you this to feel sorry for me. And I'm not telling you this to say my pain is the same as yours, because it isn't. It never will be. Each person in our lives makes a different impact. Each death makes our lives hollow in different places. It also makes those moments while they were with us more special in different areas."

He lays his hand out flat on the Wrangler's bench seat in offering. Miko looks at it but doesn't unlatch her sagging arms. He leaves it there and continues, "I think you have the potential to be military material." Then chuckles, "If you can learn to follow the rules and stay out of trouble."

Miko jerks her head away from him to stare out the passenger window. Since the death of Bulkhead and Jack and subsequent departure of her remaining friends, she has not been in detention. Part of her pain is knowing she wasn't supposed to be on that ship, not that it would have really mattered for she didn't do anything that directly effected the mission.

"Miko, we are starting up a branch of international and intergalactic personal called the Earth Marine Corps. I would like for you to be apart of it when you graduate. But you have to graduate. You must have a diploma and show you can stay on course and follow the program no matter your distain for it."

"What if I don't want to join?" The first words in months she has spoken rasp out.

"Understood. I'm not telling you what to do with your life, what I am telling you is that I see the potential that Jack, Bulkhead and Prime saw."

Now she whips her head around and snarls at him, "No you don't! You see a little girl who is in over her head and saw the ramifications to her reckless actions and now you feel the need to placate her with personal war-horror-stories and false hope. I'm NOT interested."

Pulling the jeep to the side of the road, he carefully puts the car in park and turns to her angry grief stricken face. "Is that what you see? For what I see is a person caught between her honor and duty to her friends and yet still trying to find her place in this world. That is what adolescence is all about: Finding out what relationships really are all about. The ones that matter and are deep and long lasting. Finding out if all those rules your parents shoved down your throat are for your safety or their sanity. Finding out what your own strengths and weaknesses are. Learning to adapt with them. Learning when to follow the rules and when to break them and paying the consequences for those actions. I see someone who learned all that the hard way and it's not fair. But guess what, life's not fair! So Miko, what do you think of that?"

Miko's chest begins to hitch and its tempo begins to rapidly rise. Releasing her seat belt, he's afraid she's going to bolt from the car. "Mik-"

She throws herself at him. Stunned, it takes him a minute to understand the shuddering form clinging to him is the same hell-fire girl from the silo. He wraps his arms around her and just lets her unload.

"They left me. All of them. I have nothing! I left lonely Japan to find the deepest friendships here and then poof! In a flash of neon light two of my best friends are gone. Not even an ash to bury. And the-then…" she sobs. "He left me too. He left me too."

Fowler holds her tighter, soothing her back, "The life of a commander isn't easy. He didn't want to go but he is the leader of a dying race. He has-"

"R-ratchet! You damned fragg'r! Why didn't you tell me you had a brother?! You just-left me Ratchet!" Her hear breaks and wails. Fowler sighs heavily and just holds her tight while she sobs.

He knows good and well, this is the first time her dam has broken. Saying his silent prayers encourages her to let it all out. Tears and boogers stain his jacket but the fatherless man doesn't care. After all, he had made a promise to Optimus and the others that he would look after their young charges for them.

Finally Miko's body gives into rest, *hic* "Sorry," she tries to wipe away the mess.

Fowler only chuckles giving her a gentle pat. "Didn't know Old Doc-Bot meant that much to you."

Miko lightly punches Fowler in the chest. They both know her tears were not for Ratchet's abandonment alone. Curling against Fowler, she tells him the truth, "Ratchet often muttered things to me in Cybertronian. I looked it up one day, he was chastising me as if I was his own sparkling. His own daughter. An-and he was the one to break the news to me that they were leaving. Did you know Bots could shed tears?" Softly he shakes his head. "I saw Ratchet's tears. It fell in my hand. I miss him. I miss him riding my tail about ridiculous stuff. Tutoring me… I miss his laugh…"

Fowler nods, "Like a father?"

Miko nods, "Yeah. He reminds me a lot of my father … Before he got sick… I loved him too." The two just sit for a few more comforting moments.

"Wanna go shoot off a tank?" Miko jerks upright and looks at him agape. His smiles beams and taps her nose, "Graduate high school." Miko's face turns dark in scowl and pulls away from him like the gruff teenager he is used to.

Chuckling into a full laughter, Fowler takes her to the base and introduces her to a few of the officers heading up the EMC. Some of them know about the secret silo and softly give proud smiles to young Miss Nakadi. For the first time in months, Miko can feel an honest smile come back into her heart.

William, as he asked Miko to call him, drove her back home after a long day on the base. Pulling up to the track house, Miko prepares to leap out and run in side. But she stops, turns round and jumps back into the car. Pouncing her arms around William in a Tigger like fashion, accidentally cracks his head against the driver's side window. He laughs it off and hugs her back just as hard.

Then he gives her his warmest words, "Miko, it's going to be alright. I got you."

She pulls back and gives him a tear streaked smile. Kissing her forehead he gently shoves, "Off you go, your host parents are probably worried by now."

"Can you pick me and Raff up tomorrow?"

Sadly he shakes his head, "No, I have to go out of town. But I promise to call you as soon as I get back."

Her metallic wrapped pinkie hooks round his, "You better."

With his most serious loyal soldier voice he punctuates, "I will."

Then she leaves. He keeps his promise. She keeps hers, too.

From there, Miko and Raff heal together. With Raff's tutoring, Miko's grades soar to a level that would do her ancestors and Ratchet proud. On graduation day, William hands her and Rafael matching envelopes away from their parents. Opening them, the two friends find airline tickets and induction papers to the EMC. Miko finds something else in the bottom of her envelope… the ring from his keys with his W on it.

He smirks reversing it, "It's an M for Miko."

Her throat suddenly becomes tight. She knows this was meant for a family he had given up on having. Instead, he took her under his wing as one of his own. Slipping it on her right hand, she hugs him and Raff tightly together.

Agent William Fowler pulls back and coughs back his own emotions. Raff doesn't even try to hide his tears, smudging his glasses to the point that all three laugh.

Clamping a hand to each gowned shoulder, William bestows one last blessing, "I know they would all want to be here too. But soon enough, you will be seeing their family. So, don't be late and serve their memories well." They all nod.

Just before he leaves them to their true families, a silent mother comes forward and pulls the two kids into her arms. This time William can't hold back his tear as Doctor June Darby embraces her son's two best friends. Without Jack to fret over, she had gone back to school to complete her degree. Yes she had been offered a position with the EMC if she wanted, but William was quite sympathetic when she said she wanted nothing to do with them. Of course she wasn't angry with Fowler, for it wasn't his fault at all. If anything he had constantly tried to get the kids out. With nothing to be said, she steps back and takes William's hand. Hand in hand, they walk away together.

Raff and Miko share a gape.

From there, life becomes very grown up very fast. Life became honing, skill, and accomplishments. Not paper awards, bringing teams and crews safely home. Raff's skill in computers and encryption became safe guards and filters.

For Miko it is her specialty: being an infiltrator. Her sneakiness helped her break into M.E.C.H activities and any other human-like foes. Some of it on Decepticon or Pirate ships. More often than not, Earth based issues. Trying to figure out who is up to what and stop them or report back what she has gotten her sneaky little digits on. She refuses to lose another friend or ally if she can help it. Each assignment is given her best as if each tidbit of intel or sabotage strike will actually bring back Jack, Bulk or… {heavy sigh} Ratchet.

This particular target has been quite elusive. Did he really have to be that incredibly sexy? And why oh why would Ratchet have a picture of this young man on his personal files? Just who the hell is Commander Jazzol Mechano?

This particular duty of finding out more about this man is far from professional. Not necessarily romantic, but most certainly an enigma that has to be unraveled. For the first time in a very, very long time a very personal challenge. She's pushing harder and harder most certainly breaking a lot of rules to find out more about him. If this man has ANYTHING to do with the murderous strike on Ratchet and Ironhide's transport shuttle she will rip him to shreds that even protozoa would not be able to eat.

She huffs. What the hell is going on?!

Then opportunity knocks loud and hard.

The electronics' conference. A long French braid intertwined with pearls contrasts against her silk black hair. The black and white silk modern Japanese dress with those itty bitty knotted white Frog-clasps hug her deadly gorgeous hips and hide the poisoned mini katana strapped to the inside of her thigh. One wrong word and she will kill this man.

What she does find is not what she expected at all. A powerful CEO of an electronics company. No fool. He sees her, but will not waste his time with her. He figures she is one of the hired "entertainments" and he has no interest in them. Interesting, good to know.

Through the hidden com-line in her ear, Raff feeds her a couple questions that make her knowledgeable to the conversation with the six other people in this conversation circle but not enough to draw all the attention. Now Jazzol does give her a second look, but not one worth remembering.

For Miko though, those aqua blue eyes steal her. She just knows deep within this is not an enemy agent. His laugh is one that tickles the back of her memory. The way he plants his hands on his hips, and purses his lips into a scowl with bad news to one of his company's products.… something deep and warm in her heart. He … cares. He's honest, loyal, organized, well educated yet open to further discussions and improvements.

With a tug from Raff again, she tears away from this man to make her other contacts and break into the penthouse suite of this building. Planting cameras, listening devices and taking pictures from the safe, she falls back into her spy manta. Slipping down stairs she allows herself one long lasting glance to the red headed electronics expert.

Tonight's debriefing with Special Operations is going to be short and clipped, she has plans to make.


	3. Chapter 3

Jazzol 3

{a little background for Jazzol and then Miko and he meet for the first time, offically. Sparks will fly!}

The CEO and creator of major electronic improvements for the military and civilian sectors awakens knowing he's being watched by that one camera behind the replaced one-way mirror on the wall. Who ever had bugged his place had done a really good job at pulling the glass out of the old frame and replacing it with the one-way piece (complete with the corner crack), but they missed one thing.

A smile tugs at the corner of his mouth to the memory. Once again, he and Orion had been experimenting in the garage back at their home in Taranto with their mother Connie and "Aunt Alexis." One small problem, it had kind of gone array. And when they tried to fix it things it went further off the rails. The result to the poor mirror is that when sun light hits it just right (like this morning's ray right now streaking across it's reflective surface) you can see two distinct little hand prints.

The hexagon mirror hanging on the wall directly across the bed from him does not have those two little hand prints. The frame is his mother's, the glass is not. At first he had been mad, but now, his grin pulls wider, it's getting a bit fun to play with these people. They've got some guts to try stalking him.

Rolling to his front the coverings tug down lower on his fleece covered hips. No he wasn't one of those men that sleeps nude. His mother had scared the crap out of his brother and him stating that they were always to wear something incase they had to flee the house in the middle of the night due to fire or… some other unspoken danger.

Bunching the pillow up under his chin tighter, he sighs heavily. Damn he misses his mother so much. To find out that his father was actually dead and then less than a day later to loose his mother. He had always hoped he would have one more conversation with his father. That gruff, but warm voice still soothes his memory like his mother's hand across his brow. He never saw his father in person, but his voice, his emails and his mother's stories painted beautiful and proud images in in his mind. He was never lacking in love or support from his distant father. He had not abandoned the, that had been constantly reminded. A couple times he could hear the choked strain of emotions from those text and cut short audio messages. He still has some of those voice mail messages stored on his hard drive. As precious as photographs of his mother.

Out here in Ottawa, the sky is scattered with after-storm white fluffy clouds and brilliant blue. Pulling himself from the bed, forgets the voyeur for now and makes his way to the window seat. He had all the windows in this place redone so they were just like his mother's home: sanded and varnish pine. A comforting place for Orion and himself. He had to laugh, he noticed Orion picked a home with window seats as well when he went back to see his brother and wife years ago. A silent blush between them. Starlex just laughed, feeling it too. After all, she had lived with them in that house until she was nearly three.

Placing his feet flat to the polish pine surface, bends his knees into a ^ and leans forward to rest his crossed arms and chin on them. He's come so far. He's had such a perfect life. He's very successful. Very Q-branch James Bond-ish! Is life is almost everything it should be…

_His mother had scolded him for his playboy antics. Warned him that his father would throttle him for being this way! To which he'd had the gall to waggle his brows and smirk, "Mom, please this is Dad's charm oozing out of me. You couldn't resist it! It's not my fault I got Orion's half of the Mechano Charm while he ended up with a double portion Dad's honor. Twins, hm? Really, what were you two **doing** during that storm to excited fraternal twins?" And smirked widely while sipping his scotch enjoying baiting his mother just so._

_Dr. Connie Mechano just gaped at her son's arrogance. (Too much like his namesake.) She was just to a-gashed to answer. Finally she shakes a finger at him and her voice warbles, "No, Jazzol. No. You father loves me more than anything and he would be mortified to see his lineage tainting his very life this way. You were meant to bring peace and comfort not go causing wars in your reckless ways." Slamming a hard fist to his chest, she made him spill his drink. "You want to know how you were conceived?! Fine! Your father and I made love over and over again trying to build memories that will hold us for the rest of our lives because we knew we may never be together ever again!" A pound of that painful fist again causing him to cuss this time._

_Tears streaming down her face slams him once, "Don't you EVER mock your father's honor and duty again. For he is out there saving lives putting his own at risk for US! He does not want you to ever fight in a war. He wants you to have a life that neither of us were granted. And I swear to the All Spark Jazzol Praxis, I will beat that arrogance out of you if I have to!" He is struck by the reminder that his father had rescued booby-trapped Connie from the hands of an enemy, putting his own life at risk._

_She goes to raise her fist again, only to have Orion wrap his warm one around hers saving his brother from another physical blow. Orion shoots Jazzol a threatening look for hurting their mother, but then softens when he sees Jazzol's shamed expression._

_"Sorry, Mom," the Commander and CEO man bows his head to the personal pain he cause not just his mother, but his father's honor._

_"Tell that to your father!" She hisses, ashamed of her son's blatant disregard for breaking so many women's heart a living what looks like a reckless life style._

_A further painful reminder that is they haven't heard from the Black Ops Field Medic (or so they were told his title is) in many silent years. The silence has been slowly killing their very strong mother. This retort is a reminder of how much she misses just getting a text from her beloved mate._

_Lowering his head further, the CEO walks to the door setting down his unfinished drink and out of the room. It's a long lonely flight home on an elegant Lear Jet._

He never meant to hurt his mother. What made him say something so stupid?

From there, he was a lot more careful in dating. Sure he had beautiful women hanging on his arm for future parties and events, but he made sure not to bring them home… except … one. The women he chose to attend with him also had more integrity and wouldn't pull the drama crap if he walked them to their doors, gave them a sweet kiss and departed… Alone.

Alone.

Alone.

Alone.

But does he really want what Orion has? Perfect job and devoted wife and perfect children? What about this life? Flying all over the world, meeting incredible minds, creating the most amazing things, and working with a team of small alien species on this planet! They concealed themselves as Waffle Irons, Toasters, Boom-boxes and even Remote Control cars.

When the organization known as Earth Marine Corps came to him in need of his help merging this alien species technology and his electronics' expertise, he was like a kid again with a box of Lego's and Kreos! In order to give him clearance, given the rank of Commander.

Once again staring out into the great blue and white sky before him now, he sighs. The down side to taking on the role of Commander within the EMC is that his personal relationships would… never be trusted.

Banging his forehead into his crossed arms, his fate has been sealed. He will never ever be able to a normal life. There will be no mini van and dog with a swing set in the back yard. But did he ever really want it?

Didn't he want the adventurous life? Isn't that what he and Orion had talked about when they graduated from high school and set out for separate universities? Orion was going to put his own adventurous side into ER medicine where he had to think on the fly as they are bleeding out all over him and the loved ones wail just outside the door screaming at him to save their loved one?

For Jazzol, not much for blood and guts like his mother, father and brother was going to put his towards electronics. Wires and tubes and stuff that could build amazing robots for mining. Deep sea devices that can explore the depths with out crushing under the weight. Things that can handle the cold of Antarctica and the Mar's polar caps…

The flip side to all this is that can say nothing to anyone. Not his mother, his brother or his sister in law. His rank hidden. No official credit to his inventions. Under constant surveillance. Enemies from rival companies and governments out to try killing, kidnapping or discrediting him. Always on his toes.

Adrenaline junkie's paradise. He smiles to the highs. His souls sinks in the loneliness. What he would give to talk to his dad about this right now? What he would give to apologize to his mother and beg for assistance?

Pulling back he looks to the locking ring on his right hand. His brother has the mated half. They look like rings that are normally connected to communication cables with curved gear like "teeth". The teeth lock together insuring that during rattling and vibrations of operation they don't become disconnected thus the host losing contact with it's …. mate. How in the world his mother and father (doctors) decided to use these electronic-robotic rings as wedding bands, confuses him to no end. Another question he has been meaning to ask his mother. But he can't.

She's dead. His father is dead. Orion has his family life. Pressing his forehead into his folded arms again, he allows himself a silent cry but has to hide it from the watchers in his room. So many watching him and yet… he's so alone.

~~00~~

_Before his sister-in-law can answer, Jazzol's laptop pings again. This time, Starlex can see it herself. She sinks down onto the tail gate of his truck: white and black Hummer. "Oh dear God."_

_Jazzol turns to her carefully, "As my mother said, By the All Spark."_

_Starlex turns up to him. "How can this be real? I… I don't understand."_

_He nods, "Most humans have some metal in their blood stream. You know, the iron that they checked you for while pregnant with Michael and Alice?" She nods. He taps the screen. "No one has this metal in their system. A routine doctor wouldn't check for this. I narrowed the scanner down to check for it." He points between the blood readings and the ring readings. It's the same metal. "Except us."_

_Starlex looks down to the scanner and picks up her white ring trimmed in red and black with a green stone star set deep into the band. She examines it carefully in a new light, "My mother doesn't have this metal does she?"_

_He shakes his head, "Not very much, according to your mother's notes."_

_Starlex points to Jazzol's readings, "You have twice as much as me."_

_Jazzol nods and taps the white band, "That isn't a gift from your father." She is clearly shocked. He slips the ring back onto her right hand, "That is a piece of your father."_

_She swallows hard and points back to his readings, "But you…? Why? I don't get it."_

_Jazzol reaches into his bag again and pulls out one of her mother's books. **Prime Blood**, "Yes, you do." He taps the top of the cover, "This is not science fiction. This is our real life."_

The conversation is still running through his head while he stares out at the crystal clear night sky. He can see the stars perfectly from his high rise office window. He had just put Starlex back on the plane to his brother a few hours ago after this conversation. It felt good to finally tell someone what he had found out. Who would have thought the only person he could confide in would be his sister-in-law? His brother's own wife! For his brother wouldn't listen to him when he tried to talk to him about the potential of their parents being aliens. It was Starlex's panic that had her coming to her husband's brother. And to Jazzol's relief, it feels good to share this heavy weight, but now, what to do with this new information? For instead of solving a problem, it opens up a greater mystery!

Coming back to his office straight from the airport, he found some one has been through it. They were good, but he is better. Starlex and Jazzol have stumbled on to far more than their just family linage.

His cell phone rings. He activates it without looking, "Yes?"

Starlex is panting, "Jazz, someone has been through the house."

He doesn't move and isn't surprised, "Anything missing?"

"No." Then she notices his tone is not shocked or worried, "Jazz, what is it?"

"They were here too."

"Who? What about Michael and Marsha?" she's beginning to get frazzled for her young married children set to go on a space mission.

"They will be fine. Hang up, Commander." Jazzol swings around and faces the new voice in the room. Jazz just stares at the beautiful woman. She makes a slight but deadly move with her hand.

Jazz turns his focus back to the phone but doesn't move his gaze, "I'll call you back, Starlex. I'm sure you will be safe."

"Your sister will be safe," the woman in the room answers his question.

"How can you be sure?" Starlex asks Jazzol.

Firmly he orders, "I just do. Trust me, Starlex. I must go," And he closes the phone.

Setting the phone on the desk top, he turns his full body to the Asian woman before him. She is about ten years younger than himself, but clearly she looks in better shape than others her age. Jazzol has kept in good physical form for his four-five years, but this woman is very lithe. Keeping her almond brown eyes locked on his, she reaches back and closes his office door, locking it. Then she takes a few steps forward. Jazz slides the desk phone to the side and a hand gun rises to the table top. He slides his hand over it, but does nothing else. What will her next move be? She stops and smiles.

"Commander Mechano, no need for weapons."

He just smiles. Even Starlex and his brother did not know his undercover rank with the EMC. So this woman clearly had some connections. Ah, one of the watchers perhaps?

Very carefully, with one hand, she releases the single button on her silk suit jacket. She reaches her arms straight back letting him see the jacket slide straight to the floor. She even steps out of her sexy but dangerous eight inch heals. This leaves her in a white ribbon strapped camisole and straight lined, but knee length silk black skirt. He can see she carries no weapons. But her physique makes it clear, her body is the weapon, she needs no foreign object.

Jazz decides to play it cool. He hitches one hip onto the desk top, but doesn't move his hand from the handgun. Who is going to start the interrogation? He decides she is on his turf, so he will start. "Nice job on the file search. Next time, bring dust with you. A clean get away is just too clean in this place. I don't have a janitorial staff for just that reason." There he nicely laid the ball in her court.

She flicks one perfectly manicured finger at his right hand laying on the gun. "Beautiful ring of your mother's." She crosses her arms over her chest, "Or should I say of your father?"

His smirk goes wider, "Please leave Orion alone. He is busy saving lives."

She takes a couple steps forward and lays her hands on the desk next to his, "We don't want Orion. Nor do we want Alexis' daughter." She tries to lean close enough to for him to identify her toothpaste.

Swiftly Jazz grabs her wrists and twists them back against her shoulders. That was a big mistake. He has no idea how she did it, but the next thing he knows, she has gone over his head and now has his own arms pinned behind his back, high into the shoulder blades. Then he feels her fingers fiddling with his right hand, she presses her body against his back, "I'm a friend of Bulkhead's." And then she steps back, freeing his hands.

Swiftly whirls to face her directly, "What did you say?" confused to the whispered name from the secret labs.

She points to his right hand. Right next to the iridescent yellow-white half/band of his mother's wedding ring is a new ring. This one is iridescent red and black. It has the same interlocking pattern. This woman has even placed it on his hand in such a way that with just a simple twist, they would lock together like the split wedding band had been worn by his mother. The red-black can mate with the white one.

"We found your mother's body," she whispers softly, reverently.

He shoots his head up and narrows his gaze. He saw his mother's human body buried. Now it's the intruder's turn to be surprised when he glares at her. The woman softly gasps.

Jazzol looks at himself in the reflection of the office window. His eyes glow with an eerie electric aqua-blue. He's seen this blue glow in the aliens he works with. He swiftly looks back at her not wanting to believe what his rapid fire brain is putting together.

He stomps forward and snarls. "What are you doing here? Who are you? What do you want from me?" She points to the rings again. He shakes his head and laughs, "You didn't come all the way to Quebec to give me a piece of metal claiming to be from my mother's so-called robotic body. It's all a fantasy."

"No it's not, and you know it." Then she tells him in a language he hasn't heard since childhood, "Son of Prime's Medic."

"Who the hell are you?!" He can feel his blood pressure rise not just to her accusation but to the assimilation of the coming truth of his beloved parents.

"Lieutenant Cornel Miko of the EMC. I was Bulkhead's human partner as a child, while Ratchet was station in Nevada. Really not that far from where you were conceived, considering relativity of the situation."

Both of them are quickly coming to the same answer and it's coming too fast to grasp rationally. How could Conbeanna and Ratchet keep this for a secret for so long?!

Jazz reaches out to the desk for support. Then he seethes, "You lie!"

She steps back, "For as grouchy he tried to come off, I knew he had a huge secret. I had no idea how big until they pulled out of Nevada. Worst day of my life. No, I take that back. Worst day was when he died."

He violently shakes his head to someone knowing more than he about his own parents! "No!"

She is done messing around and boldly steps forward. He doesn't have the strength to wrestle her when she grabs his right hand and looks at him directly, "Yes, and you know it. You can feel it right now." Then she twists the red ring to lock into the white one.

To her shock, a blue spark shoots off from the connection, up his arm and his head yanks back in a cry of rippling shock. Then a blue, red and yellow-green glow comes over his body. Miko throw her hands up as a final flash of white and red blinds her for a moment.

When she can see again, he is gone, as is the flash. Before her covering his face with his hands is a completely new creation. His head lifts, "What happened?"

"Holy All Spark!" Quickly she touches the button on her skirt, "Arcee, come quick. I did something bad."

The female voice calls out, "What did you do now?"

"Just get in here. STAT."

Miko can only stare at the mech kneeled and bowed before her.

a/n Yes Ratchet is Jazzol's father. Heart Wrenched and Orion's Star are the pre-stories to this.


	4. Chapter 4

Jazzol 4

_**{just went from human to Transformer in the twist of a ring, back story to Ratchet and Connie} **_

_**Thanks to viewers: KayleeHaiara Whozawhatcha, Bee4ever**_

Miko is at a loss for words looking to the hunched over mech before her. This not at all what she expected to happen. A crushing blow. For she has been chasing this man for over a year now. No, longer, now that she thinks harder about it. This was the engineering student Ratchet had pictured on his personal computer along with his twin med-student brother back in the Jasper Silo.

After all this time of researching this CEO, only to find that he is the one and same man from her teen years; Miko nearly passed out. When she turned her findings over to the EMC, they smiled and told her about finding the ex-Decepticon Conbeana's robotic armless form. Of course that didn't mean much at first either until more secret information came to light. In fact they had Conbeana's body in hiding for a long time hidden from Prime's team, under Ironhide's hushed instructions. By the time Ratchet had returned from his blizzard encounter, the wonderful people at NEST had "misplaced" the protoform. Ironhide felt it best not to ever tell Ratchet, for he would just blow a gasket or worse; writhe in agony as to what to do.

Only recently, EMC decided to reveal to Jazzol that they had the ex-'Con's body along with the new information of who Conbeana had become after Ratchet's so called 'fatal shot' (and her subsequent escape in human form). On top of all that, informing him that he a living breathing bi-species.

"What in the universe is going on?!" The mech's voice in front of her growls to a roar bringing Miko back into current focus. Even she is grasping for words. This is not how it was supposed to go down.

He is gasping as well, barrel chest heaving in rage. Alexis' book is now upon him like a sledge hammer! He didn't think she was telling it **this truthfully!** So his parents were large beings like **_this_****? **Not small beings like the ones he worked with in the labs? Where has his father been all this time? Does this mean Alexis' foes are this real too? Just how big is this war? Just how-

The office door bursts open and a clearly femme blue and pink lithe Autobot strides in. She also gasps seeing the kneeling mech-form, "By the All Spark."

Turning to the window Jazzol looks at himself carefully. He still has the glowing blue eyes that he had a few minutes ago, but now he has a silver face with a black flared chevron to the forehead of his white and black helmet His body is a white metallic armor with wide blood red jagged stripes trimmed in narrower black. His black metallic gloves are clenched tightly into a fists. He looks down the length of his body. A formidable foe to this new female Autobot in the room. He is beefy and solid, and his scowl is enough to make both the females worried. A furious scowl they have both been on the receiving end before….from a certain beloved medic.

He points a finger at the Asian woman, but before he can ask, the female Autobot asks his question. The tone dresses the woman down as if she was sixteen all over again, "Miko, what did you do?" Jazz turns to the other 'Bot almost amused that she seems to be just as upset as he. "You were supposed to get him to join us. What did you do?"

The Asian woman jumps back from both of the 'Bots with angry scowls. Holding her hands up in defense, she squeaks out her answer, "I gave him Conbeana's communication's ring."

Both the 'Bots growl, "And?" This time the femme 'Bot glances to him swiftly to remain silent. Miko remains silent, deathly afraid to answer.

He responds instead, "She locked it into the other ring. And then a flash… and this." He lays his hands out in reference to his new body.

Arcee points back to Miko, "I'm sure Wheeljack warned you."

Miko puts a hand on her hip and points back to each of them, "How was I to know that a communications ring would transform him? Hello, where was that in the Transformer's biological records? Hum? This **isn't **my fault!"

Arcee leans in, "He warned you about the ring on Starlex glowing with her mate's touch, right?" Miko nods her head sadly. Arcee points back to Jazzol, "Hello, his parents were bond-mates! And I know you know about bond connections. Slaggit, Miko!" The femme pinched her nasal bridge.

Jazz puts his hands up in a T-form, "Hold on, time out. Who are you and what the hell is going on?"

Arcee turns to him full on and does her own hands to hip check, "Excuse me, _Commander_, but what exactly is your clearance with EMC?"

He leans in with all the authority he has, "I've talked Prime. I've been in charge of research up here in Canada."

Arcee snorts. "That it? You don't know slag, buddy."

He leans his larger frame over hers and barks, "I dare you to say that again."

Arcee taps her wrist (unimpressed by his macho move), "I'll do you one better. I'll take your _talking to _a Prime and _raise _you a whole race." She turns to Miko, "We're warping out. And you can explain this to Red Alert. Now!" And before his very eyes, Jazzol sees a green wormhole he'd only seen in sci-fi movies come to very real life.

Miko goes first shaking her head mournfully, "Red Alert is gonna kill me."

"Got that right," Arcee chuckles pushing Jazzol forward then follows him threw.

~~00~~

For the first time in a very long time, everything is out of Jazzol's hands. Here he is in a whole new body, being shoved through a trans-dimensional expanse by a feisty fellow robot and her feisty human partner. He knows it's not the wormhole that is making his head spin, but it's also not helping him, either.

He feels like his mother and father (in real form) just took turns beating reality into his head with Aunt Alexis' sci-fi book. He is a grown mature (genius) of a man and now at a complete loss. Jazzol feels like a complete simpleton. Not a good feeling at all for a genius. This thing in his gut still feels like a stomach and he's sure its going to rebel on him.

Shoved to the other end of the gate, the tri-party arrives onto the Autobot shuttle Xenon. Miko comes out with her hands in the air and points to Red Alert, "You didn't tell me everything, therefore this isn't my fault!"

Red Alter then looks at the next arrival and gasps softly, "Ratchet." Several other 'Bots turn their heads quickly to a new arrival. Arcee comes through last and the gate closes. She looks around at the group and sees everyone is stunned. "Alright every one, I want you to meet Jazzol. Not to be confused with Jazz or Ratchet. Got it? He's a sparkling, so back off."

Red Alter looks at her very curious. Clearly this isn't a sparkling, so what is with the coded words? Jazzol looks around and then grabs his head, "I think I'm going to be sick."

Arcee grabs his arm and drags him away, "Not here, you don't. The floor was just scrubbed." With Red Alert in trail, she takes him to the med bay. Miko tries to get away, but using one claw Arcee grabs her by an arm, "You too, smarty skirt." Red Alert knows better than to mess with Arcee in this sour mood, so he just falls in beside her silent.

Inside the med bay, Arcee locks the door with a higher officer's code. "What I am going to say, doesn't leave this room. Got it?" They all nod.

She points to Miko, "You were told because you had worked beside Ratchet and were supposed to convince Jazzol to help us off world, not transform him." Miko tries to retort but Arcee cuts her off with a hand signal. Then she turns her attention to Red Alert, "I'm telling you because you are our only current medic in this sector. Maybe you can get him to help and train him to be a medic," she points back to Jazzol.

Then Arcee steps in front of Jazzol dropping her tone to a soft respectful one, "And you are being told, because I think you already figured it out and should know the truth; the Autobots aren't the only ones looking for you. I think Starlex and Orion will be safe. They look pretty much like normal and act like it. You though, were already helping us a little bit. We had you under surveillance until we could determine how much truth you could actually handle."

Jazzol rubs his tired metallic spinning face and still trying to grasp THIS IS REAL! Taking a sigh he nods in agreement, "Yeah, Orion thinks this is all bunk. Starlex is worried about Michael."

Arcee puts a hand on his shoulder sympathetically, "I know. It will be alright." Then she reaches down and takes his right hand. She taps it in just the right place and the glove retracts. Right there on his bare soft red hand are the entwined bands of his mother and father. The iridescent black and white make quite the contrast against the soft warm red of his flexible hand. Her own glove is retracted showing her soft pink under-armor 'skin' as she slips her palm under his and rubs the back of the red hand with her thumb. He takes a few more calming breathes with her soft touch. With his head clearing, he can accept these new and familiar sensations. With a soft nod, he lets the femme form before him know he's ready for more.

Arcee takes Jazzol's chin and locks gazes with him, "You are a very lucky mech _uh guy_. Your parents risked everything for you." Jazzol can only nod in complete agreement to that fact. There was never any doubt to his parents love for each other or their sons.

Red Alert steps forward and ask softly, "Arcee, what is going on?"

Arcee wipes a tear from her face and turns Jazzol's face to him, "Red Alert, I would like for you to meet Ratchet and Conbeanna's son Jazzol Praxis Mechano."

Red Alter asks carefully drawing out the word slowly, "How?" He is well aware of who Conbeanna was in the Decepticon ranks. Her poison is legendary and frightening. To find out that she and CMO Ratchet were mates? It's enough to frazzle him.

Now it's Jazzol's turn to tell the story combining the fiction of I_Prime Blood/I_ and the stories his parents had told them: "My mother had been captured at Praxis and forced to help the 'Cons. She attempted to betrayed them and was imprisoned with a toxic locking pin in her alt form on Earth. Through an accident, my father found her. He took her back to his temp-base and tried to save her life. In the process, I'm not sure exactly how, he turned her into a human. Years later, their paths crossed again. This time he was injured badly in battle and in the ensuing blizzard, she hit him with his own weapon. He became a human." Then he sheepishly smirks, "I guess my twin and I are the results of four days trapped in barn with not much to do but repair his robotic body and, ah,… catch up on old times?"

Arcee blushes at the thought of her friend Ratchet being so passionately intimate. Jazzol clears his throat continuing, "When Prime found him, he took the antidote. My mother had no metallic body to return to. She would never risk his duty for herself. She wouldn't stop him from being what, I guess you guys needed. So, she went her own separate way but stayed in contact." He looks down at the rings and chokes up, "Oh dear God this is all real. That's what she meant when she said he was doing his duty. That's why he never came _home_ to us… oh shit, that night! Oh Dear Lord! It was … HIM." Jazzol starts hyperventilating knowing that he had actually seen his father in his H2 form on their front lawn the night of blizzard just before all contact with him ceased. "Oh …oh… Dadddd…" he now knows all the times that rescue vehicle passed their soccer games, their school, graduation… Now both hands cover his mouth.

For the first time in his very mature life, he feels like a little kid all over again. "He saw us, he was there the whole time. He… never left us…" This thing in his chest lurches and hitches. Unashamed tears stream down his face.

Arcee grips his hand tighter, "Jazzol?"

"…" he just can't find a thing to say knowing that his dad may have been the Chief Medical Officer for this race's faction, but he had always made a point to come round his sons and find a way to keep in contact with them, see them at important moments in his life… "That birthday…"

Arcee smiles and reaches up to hug Jazzol tightly. "Orion and I turned twelve and some teased us that we were too old for fire trucks and stuff but… it was so cool."

The blue-pink motor bike pulls back beaming, "Yeah, he was there. That was Inferno, Hound, Ironhide and a few others. Yes."

Miko touches his hand lightly, "I had no idea Ratchet had a family."

Arcee looks down to Miko softly, "I know. The few who knew were sworn to secrecy for the safety of the Spark of Bots. Can you imagine what power Megatron would have over the Autobots if it was revealed?" Now Miko shudders at the thought of what the Decepticons would have done and how the Autobots would cave to protect them.

Red Alert turns to Arcee bringing the situation around, "Who does know?"

Arcee shakes her head, "Hardly anyone. I'm not even sure Bee knows, no one at that party knew. I just recently found out myself, hence looking for him."

Red Alert turns a confused head to Jazzol, "If you didn't know before, then how do you suddenly know?"

Jazzol turns to Miko, "Alexis Paxton's books. Starlex, her daughter, and I started doing research after my mother's death. I… I found my mother's correspondence to my father. All of it. But I still wasn't sure about his roll in all this until now."

He looks up to Red Alter, "What now?"

Red Alert raises his hands and freaks out, "How the slag should I know?! Looks like you have more information than me!"

Arcee waves her hands to calm them both down, "Look, every one needs to calm down." The femme, and leading officer in the room, pinches her own bridge trying to calm herself before facing anything else. Taking a deep breath, she can hear Red Alert's venting drop down to a normal rate and Miko stops fidgeting and Jazzol becomes more lucid as well.

"Jazzol, send your brother a message that you will be away and out of contact for an unknown length of time. He will understand the secrecy. Stay here on the ship. Work with Miko and Raff. And that way we can keep an optic on you." He nods. Then with a sigh and rarely seen tease adds, "And your robotics knowledge could have you stepping into your father's pedes."

Rational Red Alter nods, "Sounds like a good plan. Plan to go by the simple name of Jazz or Jazzol. Do not use either Ratchet or Connie's names. And I would steer clear of any references to Starlex. The name Starscream is not taken well here. It could get you shot, or worse."

Miko gapes, "Wait! Starscream? You mean to tell me STARSCREAM has-"

"My sister-in-law," Jazzol narrows a protective scowl at Miko. He dares her to say something evil about his brother's beloved.

Wisely looking up to the larger beings around her, Miko draws a line across her lips, "Noth'n coming from here!"

Arcee tips her head to Jazzol to he understands the Autobot POV, "He was our enemy. Only a few knew about his last heroic encounter. Many of us have not forgotten the lives he took. I'm sorry. He may be your sister-in-law's father, but he was my biggest foe. He killed a loved one and many friends of mine."

Jazzol swallows hard, "Understood." As protective as he is of Starlex, he has to remember, he is onboard a ship in the middle of nowhere depended on his father's faction to keep him alive.

Arcee adds the last bit, "Red, I'm asking you to take him under your guidance."

Red Alert lays a hand on the younger mech, "Least I can do for my mentor is to mentor his son." Laying the other hand over his spark, gives Jazzol an honorable helm dip, "Jazzol, it would be my honor and pleasure to be your guardian."

For the first time in nearly thirty-five years, Jazzol feels the need for a sitter and gives him a sheepish smile, "I'd appreciate it."

~~00~~

Within the first few days, Jazzol finds out how much he really doesn't know. Out here, they are currently under the command of Hot Shot. Not a bad commander, but no direct interaction with Rodimus Prime. But one day, while in the recreation room he mentions to Hot Shot, "Hey that sounds like something Orion and I would play."

Hot Shot nearly drops his drink, "Orion? You knew Orion?"

Jazzol is confused. Raff quickly interjects, "Ah, Hot Shot, not that Orion. Ha, that would be crazy, right? Pftz!" With that, he chucks a thumb swiftly at Jazzol, "Does he really look old enough? Ha, ha." Then quickly he turns to Jazzol, "I needed to ask you some questions about our latest experiment. Lets go."

Jazzol clearly gets the hint about swiftly leaving the room. To his surprise, Raff doesn't take him to the lab. He takes him to his own personal quarters. Raff plugs a chip into the computer read out, "You need to brush up on your Cybertronian history."

Jazzol laughs, "Yeah right. I read Aunt Alexis' books."

Raff taps the screen quite serious, "Yeah well now it's time you read the facts. You need to learn about your namesake and your brother's. And then, you will learn, no disrespect, why not to mention your brother's name around these guys." With that, Raff leaves the room.

Sitting down to the read out, he feels like a kid all over again back in Grade 4. And here he was a forty-five year old man learning history. No, looking down at his hands, he was clearly not. He was a fresh new thing. Baby 'Bot as so many of then had teased him. Yes he is naive. He has a lot to learn. Family history, Cybertronian factual history, the wars and their reasons.

Swallowing hard, he reads about the massacre at Praxis. The bots that were kidnapped and forced into Decepticon service or executed. The Autobots who tried to save as many civilians as possible taking heavy casualties of their own in the process.

Further along he sees notes to various changes in weapons that turned the tides of the war. Space Bridges. Dark Energon. The Plague Virus. The recent death of Optimus Prime and the transformation of Hot Rod into Rodimus Prime, to whom he has spoken to but never seen. Thank goodness Red Alert said he had a large processor in his helm, because this is a lot for him to digest. Once more melding reality and fantasy.

A few hours later Miko comes into the room seeing Jazzol quite perplexed. "Hey Jazzol."

Laying a hand out, he brings her to the table top, "How much of this do you know?"

Miko is honest, "A lot but not all. Some of that stuff is all over my head. I can't keep all those Primes straight and all the noble houses and those stupid council members that pissed Megatronous off so bad to cause this most recent war."

"How old were you when you first found out about the Cybertronian War?" He needs to find out if he is being dense or if this younger woman is smarter than he.

Miko looks down to the green piece of metal wrapping around her right pinkie, "Jazzol, I didn't have to unlearn or retranslate my entire family history, okay. I had a distinct advantage. I walked into something I never should have seen and there- made the best friends of my life."

Laying his aching head down on the table top gets a good look at the spy before him, "You were a kid, weren't you?"

She nods. "You knew my Dad?"

Slowly she nods. "You knew this Orion turned Prime?"

There she shakes her head, "I knew Optimus Prime, and briefly saw a glimpse of Orion."

Miko is now biting her lip to keep back information and Jazzol knows it. On the other hand, he's not sure he can handle much more information, and shuts down his optics, "My brain hurts, if I have one left."

Miko's giggle is soft and comforting reaching out to stroke the chevron. Tension seems to ease out at her caress, "I'm sorry this happened to you, Jazzol."

"I'm not sure that I'm sorry," a soft smile breaks, "I'm just to boggled to know what to think."

"I know, Jazzol, I know," there's something more to her tone he is quite sure, but her soft touch is the first he's had since arriving in Xeon's med-bay with Arcee. So he just lets himself accept her caresses without any further thoughts….

aste your document here...


	5. Chapter 5

Jazzol 5

**a/n No deariest watchers I have not forgotten Jazzol, just got waylaid by RL. So to you: Thanks to viewers: KayleeHaiara Whozawhatcha, Bee4ever fyi: next week I will be taking a bit of an electronic-fast as a spirital/family bonding time. So will try to do another this week for you.**

* * *

Miko watches as the mech before her slips into blissful stasis beneath her touch. So many thoughts and feelings wrestle with each other all the while, she continues to stroke the black chevron.

Can it really be called love if the other has no idea of you? Can it really be love when she's only had business conversations and that… one stolen moment? Is it possible that for all these years and through all this investigation she has been nothing but a stalker?

Miko pulls her hands back and wraps her arms around her folded knees watching the son of one of her mentors rest. No, that's not what Jazzol is. Jazzol is far, far more than Ratchet's son for this man has made his own way in the world. A genius in his own right. A devoted man in his own way. The secret things he does for his community. No one would ever believe he's the one that dresses as Santa, Easter Bunny, Leprechan and even Cupid for the Children's Hospital. No one would know that he is the one that sends a limo out to take terminal children home so they can die in comfort rather than in the anticeptic ward. And then, that he is the one that see that the parent's are given a break when the time comes. A trip away if that is what they need or peace and quiet at home if that is what they desire. Most certainly a compassionate heart.

Why he hides it behind this playboy style she just can't understand. For she knows first hand that is all a ploy. Charming, undoubtedly. Thoughtful, oh yes. Devoted, to his brother and mother. So why make it look like he's untouchable. It just baffles her.

Rather than ponder it any longer, she lays down and falls asleep beside his resting helm.

~~00~~

* * *

A few days later, Jazzol steps out of his quarters and watches these Autobots. He sees one go by pulling a sword from his back and twirling it like the kids on high school drill team. With a tip of his helm to the soldier (out of respect for his skill) the mech returns the nod, then twirls the sword away from him. The swoosh and slice through the air is like a knife to his new-spark. Jazzol can only stand and watch the skill that will be used in an actual battle unlike the skill Starlex uses for entertaining the crowds.

Alexis had said Starlex's father had been an expert master with the sword. The history book had said that Jazz and his dojo partner Prowl had also been sword masters. From one of Alexis' stories he knew Prowl and Jazz had both taken on Starscream. All three of them came out of that fight with major wounds. A draw. One against two is a draw?

The klaxon calls breaking his thoughts and flattening against the wall as Autobots are racing down the hall. There's nothing he can do but watch. He knows good and well, they are headed into battle. Nothing he is trained for.

All this does is fuel his own need to be apart of this battle with what he does know. He strides to the med bay and sees Red Alert preparing for triage. "Can I help?"

Red Alert whips his head around. He sees the new, but not so shocked 'Bot before him ready for his first battle. "Ready to take your father's place?"

Jazz shakes his head, "No. I could never do that. Those boots are made way to big for me. You are welcome to them."

Red Alert chuckles and points to a cabinet, "There are four cauterizes in there, make sure they are charged." Jazz follows his instructions.

While they get the bay ready, Jazz pipes up, "Train me to fight."

He shakes his head, "I can never let you go to the battlefield. You are far too important."

Jazz smiles, "I didn't ask to be reassigned to the front lines. I agree my place is here at your side. But that also means I should be able to defend myself, or at least cover you." Red Alert looks him over. Jazz keeps doing his job but then reminds him, "Even my father fought." Red Alert smiles remembering seeing Ratchet in battle. He could hold his own and laid excellent cover. "I owe my parents that much. I owe you guys that much more."

Red Alert finally nods, "Alright. We begin when this is over."

~~00~~

Over the next few days he begins his training with Red Alert and Arcee. The true Autobots are pleased to see he has some training and not completely new. It's like he just needs to get used to this new body and how to manipulate it into action. Sure he is frustrated, but:

"How about taking me on?" A green Autobot leans on the door frame. But his eyes are not on Jazzol. They only see Arcee.

Arcee straightens up, "Landed on your can last time you tried that."

He steps forward and brings a slight bend to his knees ready to take her on. Jazzol steps aside. He knows there is something more going on here than a comrade's training. The green 'Bot makes a move but Arcee sprints back. So he cocks a smiles, "Come on, partner."

Arcee's breath sucks in sharply, "I will never be your partner!"

He presses closer, "We'll see."

Red Alert comes over and takes Jazz's arm, pulling him from the room. Then he closes the door and the sparing can be heard. Sounds like Arcee's body is being slammed to the ground, and then silence. A very long silence. Spar time ended rather swiftly.

Jazz turns to Red Alert who is trying to remain neutral, but clearly knows what is going on. Jazz cocks a smirk, "Some things are just the same no matter where you go." Red Alter turns back and silently smiles.

~~00~~

The days pass, and Jazzol becomes a better and better assistant to Red Alert. On top of that, he's becoming more comfortable with his new form. Simple thing like trying to get clean are completely new. There is armor and then a flexible Kevlar like skin to his body over a structure with robotic organs inside. Some mechanical, some biological but all essential. All of this is becoming less and less 'incredible' and more and more fact and function.

As each day passes, he also notices, there is more to Miko than just an officer and someone who knew his father. No, there's something she is hiding. The way she quickly looks away when he narrows his gaze searching her. There is something so familiar to her. More than a deja vue, more like a taste of a dream. A comforting dream.

But she always looks away, he always turns back to his task.

~~00~~

A couple nights after finding himself locked out of another training session with Arcee, Jazz is reclining back on his bunk trying to come up with an encrypted way to let his brother know he is well, again, but it just isn't coming. Especially now that he knows where Orion's name comes from. And his own. Those are two hard bots to live up to.

He hears a knock on the door. There's only a couple humans who come to see him. "Enter." But this was not what he expected. He shoves the data pad aside as Miko shuts the door. Turning back around, she almost looks shy. Her hair is completely down. Straight down her back, to her waist. He swallows hard. She is so not in Colonel mode. The way her hair sways is like a shot to his memory.

His memory-fingers entwining in the thick strands. Her eyes are very soft looking up to him almost pleading. She stands before him in a pink camisole and another black silk skirt. Her feet are bare this time. Nervously she points one in front of herself like a dancer stretching her foot and takes a tentative step.

She's the one who came to him, so he waits for her to ask her questions. But for some reason she looks nervous this time. So he slides off the bunk and comes to a knee, "Miko?"

Miko tries to sound professional, but it is so false, "Have you had any aching to come back to your human side?"

He pulls his head back confused, "What are you talking about?"

Her hands twist nervously, "Do you like being a 'Bot or would you rather be a human?"

He tips his head sideways, "What in the world are you talking about?"

Her hand finally makes the move and touches his metallic cheek. "You know, as a human you were a damn fine specimen." His mouth tugs at the compliment. "And as a 'Bot, not so bad either." Her hand is more than curious now. It reaches up and with two fingers she strokes the points to his helmet. She's caressing him. His feelings are now getting all jumbled up. Do 'Bots feel passion? His mind quickly reverts back to Springer and Arcee at the sparing room.

Jazz looks down to Miko, and with one large finger, he pushes her hand off his helmet. "What is going on Miko?"

She has to turn her back to him. "I've been with the 'Bots since high school. When I went back to Japan, I worked with another group. I've known about them for a very long time. Sure Bulkhead was my best friend, but I loved Ratchet." She turns back to him, "I'm sorry to say this, but he was the father I never had."

Jazz smiles and nods his head, "I'm glad he was a father, even if it wasn't directly me."

Miko bites her lip, "Life isn't fair."

Jazz tries to laugh, "Ah, so is the life of love and war?"

"That's not funny, Jazz." She strides away turning her back. "When I got the assignment to tail a possible Decepticon collaborator, I was in full battle mode. I found him and took him out. But then, I was told to stay with his target and find out more. They said that there was something else to this target than meets the eye." She turns back, "And so I did." Jazzol understands, he was the target.

"Is there any chance you want to be human again?" Her voice shakes.

He raises his hands, "I guess I never thought about trying to change back. I have to admit, I do enjoy this body."

She smirks, "Yes, you do look very at home in your parent's colors." But then her face begins to fall again. "Will you …"

Now he turns exasperated, "And how do you suggest I change back? You are the one who did this to me, you figure it out!"

Swiftly she strides away and slams her hand into the wall. Her right hand. She smashes it until the tears come down her face. And then she sees it. A gift from Bulkhead on her little pinkie. A piece of his armor twisted in a band from base to tip like a snake on a pole after she had broken the finger. She swings around and looks up at Jazz. "Unlock the rings. Don't take them off, but unlock them."

He looks down at his right hand and retracts the glove. He looks at the rings and with a twist, he unlocks them. His body becomes instantly weaker, and he slumps to the floor on his side. Miko comes to his chest and pulls the chest cavity open. A blue ball rolls out and stands up.

Jazzol can feel it instantly. The chill of the air conditioning on his wet naked body. He shudders. And then, there is a warm body against his. No, more than that. The arms are wrapped around his neck. He clutches the warmth to him. And then he smells it. She smells like a deep dream he had.

Miko presses her lips to his and yanks back, "It worked!"

His blue glowing optic-eyes stay locked with hers, "Miko, what is going on? You know far more. There is something more."

She tries to pull back but his arms are clasped around her tightly. Then he sees the change in her eyes. Now he understands her glee. Her eyes have turned dark with a new hunger. He knows that hunger. He slides his hands against her back; unrestrained. Now he knows for sure. He can feel her desire against his naked chest. With a very graceful move, she slips her knee up and rests it against his hip. He now feels her hot naked body part and dampen his thigh; no barrier below the black silk. His body has taken over all reason. He pushes his thigh harder against her wanton desire. Her nipples harden and nearly penetrate the thin silk. His mouth comes crushing down on hers. Her open mouth is waiting for him. His hand delves into her thick, thick hair forcing them to consume each other. Her nails dig into his back clinging to this reality. When her hips begin to grind against his solid thigh wetting it, he moans as his own hardened desire strained between their bodies. His hand cups her rear pushing her even hard against him. His head yanks back to sink his teeth into her nearly bare shoulder.

Her voice gasps, "Please Jazz. Stay with me. I will protect your spark."

He stops instantly, but doesn't move. He's heard those words before. But where? They were said to him before in the exact same tone and with this same smell and taste. Quickly he steps back but then, lifts and slams her against the wall pinning her by the shoulders. He bends at the waist to bring his narrow beamed glowing eyes level with her pleading and passionate filled brown ones. "Who the hell are you really? And what do you want with me?!"


	6. Chapter 6

Jazzol 6

**a/n Sorry, know it's been a while, but... taking the time to make sure it's right and good. Major Shout OUT to KayleeChiara who noticed I plunked Timeflip's chapter where Jazzol's should have been. Gosh I love Watchers that help me when my marbles star to scatter. **

* * *

The forty-five year old red headed robotics engineer brings his narrow beamed glowing blue eyes level with the barely silk-clad female agent's passionate filled brown ones. "Who the hell are you really? And what do you want with me?!"

He's seething and his chest is clenching to those last words she said to him. It's as if those words had been whispered in a dream. A dream that can never become a reality. A dream that held a wish for an honest love…. A dangerous thing to ever have come over you in reality.

Her chin waivers, "What Connie had. What Alexis had. What Starlex has."

But he isn't going to bend that easily. Snapping he surges into her face again, "If you want a 'Bot, go! There's plenty here. And probably a few who will indulge you in a zeno-fantasy."

She slowly shakes her head, "It's not a 'Bot I want. It's you."

"And what exactly am I?" he clenches down. He wants an answer not only from her but for himself as well.

A cry breaks from her, "Jazz, you're hurting me."

He opens his hands and strides away. At this point he is not ashamed of his physical nakedness with her. He has a feeling, that his soul is far more bared right now. He goes over to his metallic form raking his hands through his flamed hair. _This woman knows those words, how could she knows those words and why are they effecting him so badly? On top of that, he sees no desire to court these aliens. Not like he had any serious thought of courting one of the humans, either. It's just_… that one lingering moment way back in his mind…

He orders her without turning, "Spill it. All of it. Now!"

Stay against the wall she does as he asks, "I wasn't lying. I was ordered to follow and protect you from the 'Cons. And then I was told to find out more. I did. Far more than I planned. I followed you. I watched you."

He turns his head and glares, "You spied on me." He's not really hurt, he knew someone was watching him, he just wants her to admit it was her.

She nods sheepishly. Her hair is a mess where he dug his hands into her scalp holding her firm as he kissed her hard. There's a red mark on her shoulder where he bit her. And now he can see the dark circled points unrestrained against her silk top. Her skirt is twisted…he has to look away.

"So what did you find?" He looks carefully at his metallic body even if his tone is mocking her.

"Honor. Humor. Humility. Duty."

"Not Ratchet?" He chides her with a snort.

But instead she carefully pushes back, "I found what he was proud to call his own."

"I didn't ask that. I asked, what did **you** find?" He doesn't want her patronization, he wants truth and fact.

"Everything I have been missing in my life," her voice humbly presses back.

Now he turns back turning the interrogation on full as he charges, "Why didn't you just come to me? Why didn't you just introduce your self?"

Raising her chin she shows she hasn't giving up her pride or dignity by exposing herself to him, "Against orders to interact directly with the targets. And…"

He raises and eyebrow, "And?"

"I was afraid I wouldn't be able to protect you if I got that close," now the fact has been laid bare.

"So you thought you would just come here tonight, get me to change, take me for a roll in the bunk, and then what? What do you want from me? Expecting me to impregnate you with 'Bot seed? Are you one of those?" Yes it was his old life he had watched too many corporate officers fall so easily into the trap. Never mind that his own reservations are for a whole other reason. He will not be played.

Sick of his disgust, she turns away instantly and heads for the door, but he is upon her in a flash. With an arm strapped around her waist and the other pushing her hand away from the door release, he growls, "Oh no you don't. I'm not done with you." He drags her back and makes her sit next to his metallic body. Then he kneels before her, "Spill it."

"You're actually going to make me say it. Aren't you?"

"I'm hiding nothing. You are the one with all the secrets. You want me to trust you, spill it." But she drops her head. She can't face him. He will wait as long as she can. The minutes tick by.

Finally she says it, "I was there that night."

"What night?"

She looks up to him. Chocolate almonds hold the pools of aqua, "_That night." _He knows what night, but is going to force her to say it. "I was in your bed that night."

"And?" He doesn't move even though his guts are quivering to the fact that it was no dream. He really did taste a chance of honest love.

She forces his hand, "I heard you too. You heard me." He knows for sure now, she wasn't a dream. His heart really had loved for one night.

{flashback I} _It's the night he arrived home after his mother's funeral. It was a very long, hard, hard day. He hits the bottle just as hard that night. The first night he started reading his parents communiqués. They were passionately in love. The distance barrier could not stop their love for each other. They held each other through his entire life… and now in death he hopes they were back together again._

_ And now he is alone. Alone in his penthouse. Alone in life. Alone. He staggers into his bedroom, strips and collapses on his bed and cries. He hadn't cried this hard since Starlex hit him with that dump truck when he was ten and ended up with stitches on his leg. With his eyes closed and sobbing, he feels a tender palm on his face. He knows he is dreaming, because the apartment is empty. He had swept it himself for surveillance bugs before picking up the first Scotch. Too many Scotches later, he doesn't care anymore. Let this dream caress him and show him tenderness. Let him pretend he has a passionate love like his parents. Like his brother. Damn his brother is lucky. Orion always has been._

_ Right now Jazzol has the most wonderful feeling he ever felt. The small warm hands stroke and kneed his body all over. And then he feels the naked form lay across his back, "I will protect your spark." She whispers and then kisses the nape of his neck sweetly._

_ Those words were spoken between his parents. Their lives, a spark of life they believed connected them. No distance or space could undo the magical bond they had. And now there is a woman caressing not just his body but reaching into his heart, as if she knows him… A few more soft words of comfort and-_

_ He rolls over, she kisses him warmly, sweetly on the mouth. Grasping her lips back, pulls her into a passionate kiss meant only for true lovers. He let her kiss him all over his body. She seemed to take her time on each scar and each dimple, each freckle and each crease of his body. Its like she is trying to paint him in her mind. Savor every touch, scent taste of him._

_ He feels it only fair to return the favor. No words are spoken except at the end. Even drunk on the Scotch and the passionate intensity of the woman's body of soft caresses, he just can't bring himself to consummate the love making, instead spilling himself across her crooning body. She is not upset, that scares him._

_ He knows he was conceived during a blizzard leaving his mother to raise her sons alone and breaking his father's heart they he couldn't be there for his family. Even if this woman is just a dream, he can't bare the weight of doing the same. Forever to always wonder if he has a son out there… alone, alone, alone. "I can't give you myself," he sags in grief pressing his forehead to her imagined heart._

_ The woman smiles and instead curls her arms around his head keeping him close, "Just stay with me tonight."_

_ "Don't hate me," he whispers rolling to his side knowing he is about to pass out, but still holding her tight, like a child with a solace toy._

_ "I love you, Jazzol. I could never hate you." And with that, she lays him back and sooths him to sleep. In the morning, he awoke alone. Again._ {}

And now here she is again, in front of him. She has tried to give herself to him, again. He asks the question once again only more softly this time, "What do you want?"

"To give you my love," she honestly states, "You aren't alone, Jazzol."

"And if I don't accept your love?" he searches her face afraid to give his love to anyone and hurt them with his abandonment.

She reaches for him and kisses him warmly, giving. He tries to resist, but he has ached for this dream woman for too long. She has plagued his silent nights and his lonely days. Now he knows, she had been trying to find a way to approach him all this time and let him know, he has never been alone. Then she found a way. "They didn't know why you wanted to give me the ring, did they?" She shakes her head. "You are giving it to me, not the EMC?" She nods.

Now it is all becoming crystal clear. Miko had been more than watching over him for just facts, she has been falling in love with him this whole time. When she saw him at his weakest she came to him not as a body guard, but as a comfort. She knew he loved his parents and the loss of his mom with the confirmation of his dad's death… it was a hard blow. So when they found Conbeanna's body recently, she offered him a piece of his mother now that he had a piece of his father. She really had no idea what would happen. It was her silent way of knowing she had given him a token of her committed love, even if he never knew it, she always would.

Jazzol softens. This is probably the sweetest thing anyone has ever done for him. Not just sweet, but deep. Because this 'watcher' has not only known who his parents were, but she must also knows his secret as to why he would never… give himself fully to anyone. Miko knew him inside-out. She honestly knows him. Their night was no one night stand. It was her only passionate moment she thought they would ever have and she had wanted him to know he was loved. And he did love her… No… he does love her, if that's even possible. For he has never stopped dreaming of that one woman he made love to who held him all night.

This time he lifts her into his arms and takes her to the towel tossed to the corner of the room. He had never stopped thinking about this woman. Lately his dreams about the mysterious woman have been more intense. Especially after he would hear Miko sing with her guitar in her quarters. He just thought it was a trigger, a haunting dream that would never go away. It was torture hearing the soft tender voice sing songs of unrequited love due to time and space and unfair life. Now he knows, she had been secretly serenading him this whole time.

Jazz is ready to take a chance this time. He will give himself fully to her, because she has already sacrificed so much for him. Just like their first night, he kisses every tiny part of her body. His lips make her heart sing. When she is finally ready for him, he is sitting with his back to the wall hands buried deep in her silky black hair, rutting in her throat.

She straddles him and grips her hands behind his neck holding him in place, then whispers, "I'm sorry." Before he can ask, she impales herself. He can feel her resistance while digging her claws into his neck and bites her lip drawing blood as it passes. His breath is gasping against her throat along with her own pant. His hands gripped her hips when she tries to move, stilling her.

"No," he gasps, "Wait a moment." Jazzol is doing it not just for himself, but for her as well. Quelling his racing passion for just a second, ever so carefully he lays her back and even more so carefully and tenderly, continues the gliding motion. Miko is so ready for him, that he needn't worry about her pain. She grips his hips harder and pleading with him to intensify their joining. Curling and pressing them together, his own dam bursts and her body arches higher into taking all he offers. This time he whispers in her ear, "I pray we succeeded." With that, her tears burst forth of him accepting her love and giving his in return. He has giving her something more than himself: a future. Everything he has held back from everyone else… a future he was afraid to behold…. For her alone has given.

The klaxon blares and his name is called to the med bay. With a torn smirk, he has to pull away from her. He leaps to the metallic body and prepares to twist the rings, "Duty calls." He locks the rings while touching the 'Bot body. In a blue flash, he is back to his Autobot body. Leaning over her on a bent knee, he lets his finger tip touch her naked belly, "Wait for me. We will try again."

Her hands trail across her belly with him and she looks back up, "Damn you are a fine creature both ways."

Then true to his name sake, he gives her a cocky smirk, "Yes I am!" and he strides confidently out the door bearing his father's shield proudly and racing to charge into his duties.

Watching that white body jog out the door, Miko's heart soars. Not just for what he has given her, but for what she has finally been able to give him. The one thing he has desperately needed for a very long time: someone.

As a twin growing up, he's always had Orion. True to form, they are fraternal twins not identical, but they are brothers none the less. When they graduated high school and separated for their fields of studies at different universities… they found new brotherhoods of intensity. Every holiday would find them joining back together and recharging their 'lonely batteries' for the next semester.

Until… EMC and medical residency came into play. From there… they were on their own and the loneliness really began to settle in. It's there that Jazzol began his playboy persona to hide his true feelings. It was about then that Starlex came back into Orion's life only to deepen the sever between the brothers and make a marriage for the couple. Not a bad cleaving, just the truth of life going down different paths. For as happy Jazzol honestly was for Orion, he could see the pain on his mother's face for missing her own husband. And that's something Jazzol knew he never wanted to cause another as his own career became more dangerous and secret.

Pulling the corner of the towel over herself, Miko snuggles down. There's nothing she can do right now for the current action of the returning Bots. If she went out there, she would just be in their way. First things first are to get the injured cared for and then the debriefing will come in second. She will wait until they call for her. So for now, she will snuggle into his bot-sized towel smelling of his unique mechly-human scent and relish in the euphoria of knowing… she has brought his loneliness to an end. She has given him some thing he never thought he would ever have.

* * *

Jazzol is thankful that the med bay is busy, keeping his mind away from his sexy guardian-lover waiting back in his quarters for him to make them a future. A good long fight it takes to get these 'Bots patched and back together and the place quiet. Looking over to Red Alert, he smiles, "You look beat, go. I'll stay."

Red Alter nods, rubbing his tired optics. "Promise I'll call you if need me?"

Jazzol chuckles, "No."

"In that case, I'm going to my office and sleep," and heads for the office.

Jazzol drops the dirty instruments into the sink and heads straight for the exhausted medic. Cupping the elbow, guides him out the main door and across the hall to the private quarters, "Fine, I promise to call you, Doc-Bot." Red Alert shakes his head and lets Jazzol cover him with a blanket as he sinks down to his rarely used berth. "I think I can watch some monitors and administer a few more pain meds if need be, but if there's a complication, yes I will send for you."

Red yawns, "You better."

Jazzol can't help but smile as he leaves and heads back. He looks around at the six ailing bots. Most just need a few more hours of quiet stasis. A few will be here at last a week, but all will pull through. Thank goodness. Adjusting one mech who had twisted a line in his restless sleep, he sees that everyone else is fine.

Dimming the lights to the recovery area, heads back to the supply area to clean up. His spark feels like it is flared and lifting him off the ground. Once or twice he even looks down to make sure he doesn't have levitation abilities! Sniggering to himself, dives into the clean up.

Medic-apprentice Jazzol, has no idea how long he has been at the clean up when he sees a familiar female in EMC jumpsuit walk quietly into the room. His face lights up in delight and scoops her up. His face beams and she shoots one back. With a finger to his lips, takes her to Red's closet of an office and sets her on the desk, plunking himself into the chair.

Miko gives him a slight pout, "Missed you."

He can't help but chuckle a little. For all this time she has been secretly following him on Earth thus never leaving him truly alone, and yet… he never knew it. And now that they really did have a moment, she quickly teases him with that simple line.

He pouts back in teasing sympathy, "Sorry. Red looked like he was going to pass out. I just couldn't-"

Miko's small hand on his large one grips him in support, "I know. This is part of that honor I spoke of."

Jazzol shrugs, "It's not honor, it's common curteousy."

She squeezes again, "Which many forget."

The words do not need to be spoken. Apologies do not need to be made, for he did not abandon or ignore their moment and Miko knows this. Instead she motions to the ward as if prepping for the briefing she will be facing, "How bad?"

Rubbing his chevron, "Could have been far worse, but we didn't lose anyone on our team and we got eighty percent of the refugees onto the other shuttles." Miko sighs with relief.

A light chuckle comes from his chest, "Wanna hear something funny?"

Miko settles down, wrapping her arms around her knees, "Oh you know me, always ready for a good funny."

Jazzol cups her letting his thumb rub her back, "I always felt a it like the odd man out for going into robotic engineering and not medicine like the rest of my family." His optics flash, "Who knew I was more into my parents field than Orion?"

Miko laughs with him and pats his hand, "Yeah that is funny. But something your family all share, you are all healers. You all have the compassion to help and the tenacity to fight for what is right."

Chuckling again, Jazzol pushes his other hand through the air, "Nah, leave the fighting to Starlex." Miko can't help but laugh a little to that.

Jazzol lowers his chin to the table top, "How are you?"

"Wonderful."

Curling her even closer, he smiles, "Good."

Miko runs her hands across his lips, "I love you."

Jazzol breathes back over her soft form, "And I have been in love with that mysterious woman for so long. It's nice to know her name finally."

"We have a future."

"We have a forever." Miko reclines into his hand letting him cradle her.

* * *

Red Alert comes back into the medbay looking better than when he was forced out. He finds Jazzol talking softly to Miko while he makes his rounds. He smiles, looks like Jazzol has found a deep friend and yeah he's going to be just fine. With a wave of his hand, dismisses Jazzol.

"Miko, I'm off duty," he breaks into her conversation with a leading whisper.

She stops and they step out into the hall. He looks like he's headed straight for his quarters but she bonks his shoulder, "Please, get my pod."

His grin broadens, why hadn't he thought of that!

Here on Xenon, they have made pod-like apartments for each of the humans. A 5-pin connector plugs into her wall like any regular human appliance. Except each pin on this plug is for fresh water, waste water, electrical, communications, and air. Easy enough to interchange if EMC officers transfer to other ships or bases and they stack like Lego's. No need to pack up individual crates and what-nots.

Easily, Jazzol goes to the human sector and disconnects her pod's line. Checking the hallways, he sneaks her pod into his room. Now where to hide it? Setting it down, Miko scurries under his bunk.

"Ah Jazzol, I think someone thought of this before us. There's an outlet here."

"Are you sure it wasn't done to convert these quarters into another human sector?"

Planting her hands on her hips she pouts back, "Do we really care at this point?"

He chuckles and slides the pod under his berth, locking it in, "No, I guess not." Shuffling himself back out, drops the glove back and unlocks the rings. He rolls out of the chest and Miko pulls him close again. "What are you going to tell them about your relocation?"

She smiles, "The truth. I'm bunking with someone else."

He grins and leans in, "Oooh I do like the way you think. Now where were we?"

Taking his hand, Miko pulls him into her pod and strips. Laying back on her silk sheets, he hums and takes his time making love to her again…. And again.

* * *

Within a few weeks later, Red Alert is reassigned. Jazzol is made the new medic of Xenon. That same week, EMC tries to reassign Colonel Miko. But this time she puts her foot down arguing with her Commanding Officer through the monitor on the bridge. Jazzol who had come up to the bridge to check in with his own Autobot Commander, hears the reassignment orders and Miko trying to defend her position to remain as a liason aboard Xenon, but the Admiral will not agree.

Jazzol barges into the call with the Admiral. "She stays."

The Admiral shakes his head, "Medic, you have no say in this matter. She goes."

Jazzol narrows his glowing blue eyes, "No, I do."

The Admiral growls again, "You are clearly out of line."

Jazzol drops his tone a notch, "She's under my shield of protection. She stays." The Admiral tips his head willing to listen to the implied hint. The Autobot seior officer is quite surprised to hear this tone from the rookie. Jazzol keeps the same firm line tone, "You aren't taking my wife."

Miko shoots her gaze up to him. They had not made it official to anyone else that they were in a committed relationship. In front of everyone, he twists the rings and drops to his human form. "Unless you have someone else who can do this, she stays with me. Otherwise, I go with her. Considering I am now chief medic of Xenon, I think the 'Bots will let me have my way. She stays by my side." Miko can see Raff in the corner of the room giving her a thumbs up. Jazz twists the rings again and reverts back to his 'Bot form stating once more, "My sparkmate stays."

The Admiral is shocked and just nods, "Alright, Commander Jazzol," he uses the EMC title, and with a shaking hand, closes the screen.

The shocked Autobot crew looks at their bi-species medic. He had just let a huge cat out of the bag. "Ah, this doesn't leave this room," he quickly coughs and flushes, but he has a feeling the cat has already made his way back to Cybertron. Miko and Raff share a secret look of pride.


	7. Chapter 7

Jazzol 7

No, I haven't forgotten these two. I just knew this was the next chapter and... **Warning**: This is going to be hard on the heart. Emotions will be very real and personally experienced. Rest in peace, my baby girl.

* * *

It's been a few months since the news of their bondhood/marriage got exposed. No there was no public ceremony, but then again, many bots do not make it public when they bond. In this time of war it could be a hazard to be bound to another. Miko has noticed that lately when Springer comes to Xenon, there seems to be a lot of arguing between Arcee and the green helo-bot and not the kind that ends with a locked sparring room. The kind that leaves a Commander storming off to the bar and a Warrior Goddess silent in her room.

Miko's heart cries out for Arcee. She's known her so very long. Arcee has lost love so many times, that she can tell being in love with this mech is killing her even more. Springer is a good soul and ever so in love with Arcee, but she's pushing him away harder and harder. Spring keeps trying to make promises..

"You can't make me that promise, Springer! Not unless you are going to lock yourself in a shielded cage and never do your duty! And I will not be the one to impede you in that way. The Autobots and Wreckers need you too much. Just… go."

Grabbing Arcee by the biceps, he pins her to the wall, "Damn-it Arcee, I love you!"

"I …don't * won't* l-love you Springer." She turns her helm away from his pleading optics.

"Yes you do."

She snaps her helm back and pierces him with a lie, "I'm in love with someone else. THERE! Happy?!"

"PRIME ON THE DECK!" Is bellowed through the halls, and Miko stops her ease dropping. Everyone comes to a snapped attention as the flaming red and maroon young Prime strides down the hall. All the EMC are lined up carefully on a riser where the Prime can see them at eye-optic level and yet out of the way of his weighty pedes. Miko can't help but see the way Springer's fists curl tightly when Arcee keeps her optics locked and following the handsome mech of power and leadership. Yes, she knows Springer, Hot Rod and Arcee had been young trainees together. A deep friendship that has been seen through the death of one Prime and the rise of another.

Rodimus has everyone's respect. Not just for his title, but the way he carries it. He does not feel worthy to bear it, and tries his best to hold it for the dignity it deserves. At times his shoulders are weighted too heavily. Miko learned recently, that he lost his own mate and his shoulders seem to sag a little lower even if his helm is held high. There at his side, is a femme looking very much like her sire with some nice rosy accents. Stunning.

"Rodimus," Arcee asks. He turns to her and smiles. With a flick of his finger, asks her to walk with him. Springer seethes. Miko's heart plunges for Springer as the two friends walk on together leaving the green one to hold the soldiers in line.

"Dismissed," Springer snaps and heads the opposite direction of Rodimus with a crack of his fist to the wall. Ouch.

Jazzol had been so busy in learning some of the new medical equipment Topspin and Springer brought in, that he missed coming home to his quarters for a special dinner Miko had planned for him. She's not upset, she knows how he can be. There were times even Optimus had to bring Ratchet a cube when he was up to his elbows in a repair or an experiment. Silently she puts the meal away and slips into her silky bed alone. Exhaustion pulls her quickly under. She didn't even stir when the heavy bot enters the quarters and collapses on the berth above. He's too tired to even transform and snuggle into with her. Besides, he has to be up in a couple hours to complete the calibrations.

It goes like this for nearly a week. They may be on the same ship and sharing quarters, but it's like two ships passing in the night. Finally they are in a planning meeting together and look at each other across the table. Both of them pout their silent apologies to each other and then soft giggles of acceptance. Just before the meeting begins, Miko giggles and then strokes her belly. Silently she is telling him, it worked.

His grin is wide and beaming. The Medic has no idea what the first half of the meeting was about because he just kept staring at his mate and her hand on her flat belly holding their future.

"Jazzol." His name is called three times before he finally lifts his head and turns to Xenon's Captain. "Care to join in on this conversation?"

He flushes deep and Miko is shot a warning look from same Captain, "Cornel, I need my medic right now. You can frag your mate later." There's a soft amused look going all around the table. Even from Arcee.

"Right, okay, but I get him as soon as this meeting is over for you guys have had him all week!" She easily shoots back making her point clear. To that, the Captain does apologize.

As promised, as soon as the meeting breaks, Miko strides across the table with a particular swing to her hips. "You and me Doc have an appointment you will NOT reschedule!"

Jazzol's optics flare and a wicked grin comes wide across his face, laying his hand out flat. Miko doesn't just step into it, she lays her self back rather seductively and makes it clear what is going to happen as soon ass they leave this room. Bots clear a path to the door and allow the lovers to make their way home.

Locking the door tightly, Jazzol released Miko and his rings. In nothing flat, he is helping Miko out of her uniform. Oh lord her white crisp shirt is already getting tighter in the bust, "How far?" They've been bonded for months but he wants to know when the conception took. His hands pan out over the swollen mounds and she hisses.

"Ohh, careful, Jazzol, Highly sensitive and, swollen. I'm still stuck in the old bra, no chance of getting new ones right now. Kind of like trying to cram a basket ball into a tennis ball can." Jazzol pouts and softly places tender kisses on them. Soon they will be the nectar of his child and out here, the only life giving thing his child will have. This trip was not meant for bearing human children, but there's no way either of them is going to deny the other a family. Frag it all to hell if either the EMC or the Autobot try to tell them not to procreate. After all, that is Xenon's missions! To find and relocate war torn families. Weather it be back to Haven or somewhere else the Decepticons and Pirates can't hurt them.

Dipping his knee slightly, Jazzol lifts Miko to his arms while she loops her over his neck. "I think about six to eight weeks in."

"Mm, time to prepare and plan then. Time to get supplies ordered, right?"

"I really don't want to think about that right now," She nips at his ear.

His chest rumbles in delight and kneels down on their silk covered bed. Ever so slowly he lays her out. Taking her hands, places a kiss in each palm and then entwines his fingers with hers. Soft tasting kisses to her forehead, temples, down her cheek to her supple neck, beautiful rounded shoulder… that soft piece of her pectoral chest area, an ever so feather like kiss to the blossoming areola, the underside of the swelling mound, her heart… down to her belly button… and then lays himself flat and looks at her harder, but still flat belly.

"Hello in there," he caresses. Miko lifts her head torn between frustration in him halting their love making but then awed by his sweetness. "Baby, I love your mother very much and I love you too. So I'm going to make love to your mother now, but I have not forgotten you. I will be back to we can talk more later, alright?" And with a sweet kiss to his budding offspring, rises back up for a passionate kiss to Miko's lips leaving her arching fiercely into his hard body.

Carefully, but passionately he takes her body against his own. Cupping, feeling each and every curve and soft piece of her body, he find his solace of comfort and pleasure. Hypersensitive and neglected for so long, she cries out loudly to his touches. He beams to making her body sing in such a way. Euphoria crests over them both easily sliding them back down to melt against each other.

"Mm, I'm never leaving this spot again," he hums to her.

"Unfortunately, I have to pee," Miko moans. "Give you five bucks to go for me?" He giggles and releases her. Fast as she can, she deals with that and slips back into her lover's warm strong arms. Large finely tuned fingers weave through her silky Asian tresses. Miko hate the fact he is lulling her to sleep. She doesn't want to go unconscious and slip away from him again, too afraid that when she wakes up he will be gone off to work again.

"Shh, it's okay. I'll stay, I promise," he can feel her fighting the sleep. He cups her face and makes her look up. "They'll just have to die in the med bay without me this time," he smirks. She shakes her head knowing that won't happen, but lets herself snuggle into his arms. Unfortunately, the toll this baby is taking on her body, make her fall asleep soon enough under the massaging strokes of the trained medic's paws.

* * *

Now more than ever, Jazzol will not leave her side. It looked like the first human born on Xenon would be Zenith. Excitement goes through both Bots and humans. Sure they've has sparklings on board, but not a human baby. This is just… wonderful.

Plans are made. Hopes are nurtured. Dreams are spun….

Unfortunately, all was not well. At her fifth month, Miko stops felling their child move. Jazz is working on a minor repair for Springer, when Miko come stumbling into the med-bay, tears streaking down her face. Springer didn't speak, he just points to the medic's human mate. Jazz quickly turns and sees Miko in utter despair. She's shaking her head and can't speak. Jazz drops his tools and turns to her, twisting the rings. Right now, his 'Bot life will just have to wait.

In two strides, he has her in his arms. Choking through the tears he understands, "She's gone?" Now his own grief takes over. Springer is shocked. He has never heard of this happening before. Humans are such a fertile race. One dying before it was born?

Jazz clutches her to his chest and just holds her tightly. When her grief becomes even more than he can hold up, they both sink to the floor in a huddled ball of tears. Springer very carefully lifts his head to the door. He sees Arcee confused, but seeing the grief on Springer's face as well, she says nothing. Springer quietly steps around the grieving couple and seals the door behind himself. Arcee once again asks him with just a look. Even Springer is choked up. Without asking Arcee's permission, he pulls her into his arms and drops his head to her shoulder, "The child is dead." Arcee tightens her grip on Springer. Whatever was their argument in the past, right now they need each other.

She's known Miko for a long time. That spunky, nothing can phase me attitude, and going to take on the world. This just wasn't fair to her or her mate. Not Ratchet's grandchild.

"Was it the mixed heritage?" She tries to find something to hang a reason on.

Springer fights back his own tears, "I don't think it really matters." Arcee cups her friend's head to her shoulder. She doesn't care who sees them. Springer doesn't care who sees him cry either. Together they stand guard to the med-bay while the couple inside grieve. Together Arcee and Springer cling to a moment of peace and grief.

So much pain in the universe and here there had been a hope and a promise from one of the most fertile species in the galaxy. Poof, gone. Once more a reminder to Arcee and Springer how precious life is. How short time is. Pettiness has no place here or now.

Within hours, Miko is forced to birth a dead dream. The pain of birth with no glee at the end. Luckily Zenith was not full term thus not a large, but still, birth is not painless. Certainly, not like this. The human doctor leaves them a quickly as he can from getting Miko cleaned up. Together Jazzol pulls Miko and Zenith to his arms and they sob together again.

"She, beautiful, Jazzol."

"Yes, she is, Miko."

A perfect little infant in their hands and yet still and cold. Lifeless her coloring begins to fade from the pinkish hue of expectation to dark … death. Both father and mother know… it's time to let her go.

"I'm glad she didn't suffer with medical probes and stuff," Miko gives Jazzol her comfort.

"Yes, that is true. She only knew warmth and our love." He is so proud of his strong wife.

With that, Miko presses the button to bring the doctor back. With a final kiss from father and mother, they lay the lost life in the doctor's hands. Even he has silent tears running down his face. There's noting left to be said. Jazzol lifts his wife and carries her to their quarters. Arcee lifts them to her hand to carry them home with Springer's arm of sentry around her shooing all other bots and EMC out of the way.

Inside their quarters, Jazzol notices someone has brought his Cybertronian shell back to his private quarters. Arcee sets the couple at the door to their pod and then turns allowing Springer to hold her close. Jazzol and Miko smile up to the two other lovers coming together again. Even through their grief, they can see someone else's healing.

* * *

A few days later, Miko and Jazz (as humans in pressure suits) go to the cargo bay. With the door already equalized with the outside, they release a Japanese lantern. With a tiny drop of Energon Arcee donated from her own body to light the lantern, the it floats out of their hands baring the ashes of their daughter Zenith. They hold tightly and give it a gentle push together.

Jazzol clasps Miko to him and softly tells her, "I'll understand if…"

Miko grabs him tighter, "I owe it to Zenith to give her a sibling. Both you and I are far too strong to let this one accident stop our family. The cord accident happens far more than you know. We can succeed."

Jazz takes a deep breath and lifts her chin to face him, "Thank you. I love you. I'm very proud of you." He's sorry there is a face shield between them right now. She smiles at his attempt to kiss her and then they watch the lantern float out into the heavens.

They have a good few minutes before the radio breaks in, "I'm sorry Miko and Jazz, but there's an SOS coming in."

Jazz reaches over to close the air lock while Miko responds, "It's okay, Springer. She doesn't need us any more and they do. Let's go."

Springer sighs in relief. He was afraid he was going to have a very distraught set of parent on his hands. He smiles to himself, he should have known better. Ater all, Miko and Jazzol are no weaklings. They never would have made it this far if they were. Practical and driven, the medic and infiltration specialist return to duty.

"Very well," the commanding officer replies, but he maneuvers Xenon away from the lantern before it jumps in order to protect the memorial.

The SOS wasn't just a cry for rescue. It was a cry for defense. True back on Earth, Miko would have been on medical leave, but this wasn't Earth. This was hell. Miko takes over the communications station and scanners, easy on the body but hard on the brain. This releases Arcee to do what she does best, fight. Arcee almost looks grateful laying a very, very tender hand on Miko's head, "Thank you."

Miko chokes a little but lets off a small smile, "Save a child for me, will you?"

Arcee also chokes on her words and smiles herself, "Yes, Cornel."

Arcee did one better. With Springer covering her, Arcee and Hound are able to liberate a whole school. She's glad to be able to report back, "Cornel Miko, mission accomplished." Miko just laughs back to hearing the squeals of delight from a whole flock of young voices.

* * *

Next chapter will be more pleasant, promise. Just not sure when it will go up.


	8. Chapter 8

Prime Blood/ Spark of Bots: Jazzol

Chapter 8: Final

* * *

It was still three months before Jazz could come back to his human form. The SOS call was a long drawn out rescue and repair and it looked like it would go a lot longer. Springer finally has to put a hand on Jazzol and steered him away from the other 'Bots and desperate needs of the planet. As Commander of Xenon, he doles out an order, "Jazzol, you need to go back to Xenon."

"But sir, there's-"

"And it will be waiting here for you in three days. I don't want to see or hear from you for three days. That is an order."

"But-"

Springer puts on his best smile, "I've spoken to Miko. Should I twist those rings myself? I can twist your arm and then the rings," he narrows his gaze daring Jazzol to challenge him. Jazzol looks out at the city in front of them. There was still so much that needed to be done. So many wounded and hurting. Springer sees what he does, "I know. You have to remember, in your spark, you still have a human side and you have a human wife waiting for you. I believe you made her a promise. I intend to do my part in making you hold to it. Go."

Jazzol doesn't move right away. He looks between the city and then back to Xenon. His mother had chosen her family so her husband could do his duty. Both were brave and strong. Both knew their duty. Who should he follow?

Springer leans in quietly almost like he can read his thoughts. "If I understand human biology correctly, Miko can't do her job alone. I believe she needs you. And since I don't know exactly how much, ah _time_, she needs from you, I'm ordering three days. Last chance to make the move yourself before I make the move for you. You know I always beat you at sparing."

Jazzol turns back to his Commander. Springer is being his friend right now and boy does he sound like the encourager Orion was to him during their college days.

Jazzol smiles to his friend, "Call me if it gets real bad or it's something you can't handle."

Springer nods, "Be assured, I _won't_." Jazz smiles a nod then drops to a wheeled form much like his name sake. A sprinter fast and light, takes off for Xenon. Springer is very pleased to see Jazz at his fastest nearly taking out two 'Bots exiting the ship while he flies in.

When Jazz makes it back to his quarters, he hears the shower running. Oh that does sound good. He hasn't felt water on his body in a long time. This planet is abundant with it and so the humans have been blessed with long showers, baths and swimming. As quietly as he can, he slips out of his 'Bot form and releases the manual override to the bathing compartment. There she is. His wife running her hands down her naked body singing a wild and unabashed tune. He waits until her back is turned to the door and slips inside. Then weaves his fingers into her wet locks.

She screams, he laughs. Instantly, she turns and strikes him. Too late to block and takes the blow. When she gets the soap out of her eyes, sees its him. "Jazz? What are you doing here?"

Now his glowing blue eyes have a wicked smirk to them, while his red hair is plastered to his head. An almost forgotten husky growl comes forth. "What do want me to do?"

She just has to stand there with her hands on her hips giving him a very cocky attitude. All it does is accentuate every wet curve of her body. One soap bubble slides from her hair, down her shoulder over the tip of one luscious nipple, around the curve of the breast, to the rib and down the hip to stop against her hand.

"I have a three day leave. Springer ordered me on leave." Her body begins to quicken. Three days. She can have him for three days straight. "He ordered me to try again."

Her voice is very husky in want for her lover, "Smart Commander, always did like him."

Jazz doesn't wait another moment. He gathers her in his arms and plays his lips upon her luscious shoulder. Miko doesn't allow foreplay this time and goes straight for the intercourse. Jazz doesn't mind pressing her front to the wall and holding their entwined hands above her head while she screams for him to take her harder and harder. Burying his face into her wet locks, cries out her name in return.

It may have been quick and incredibly hot, yet also desperately needed. The fury of work quashed away now, they turn and lather each other up.

The water runs cold before they are finished with their third round.

* * *

Jazz thought he heard the sound of the door chime but his head just wouldn't come to the surface. The soft murmur of voices lull to his brain. Like the times he would listen to his mother and Aunt Alexis talk down stairs. He's just to exhausted to pull out of their wonderful cocoon.

"No! Please, don't go." Miko!

Now that sharp voice does crack through his sleep and bring him quickly to consciousness. As a good soldier, he only peeks his eyes open assessing the situation before moving. The other voice is soft, clearly not wanting him to be bothered.

What he sees is Arcee on one knee talking to a very upset Miko wrapped in her green silk robe. He really has to ask her what is with all the silk.

Miko pleads again, "Arcee, no, please. No- I don't understand."

Arcee is visibly upset too. "Look Miko, I'm a soldier. Like you, but I don't do well with long good-byes. Ask Jack." They both know that isn't possible, seeing how he is dead.

Miko reaches out a hand to her friend's shoulder, "But Arcee, we're a team. We're-"

Arcee cuts her off before she can say the word with one long finger through the air, "No, we aren't. I don't do partners any more. You know that better than anyone else." She takes a deep breath, "Skyfire is already here waiting for me. Besides, you don't need me as your partner. You have a mate, a far better tradeoff."

Miko's tears begin to run harder. She reaches her hand out to grasp her friend's, but Arcee lifts her chin, also about ready to loose it. "I have two orders for you before I leave. One, look after Springer. He's going to need someone feisty and reckless to keep him on his toes. Second," she lets her knuckle rest on Miko's belly tenderly, "Do me a favor. Don't even think of naming the offspring after me or any other 'Bot for that matter. Just way too confusing." She nods towards resting Jazz. Miko sees the humor and nods even though she just wants to sob.

Jazz props himself up on one elbow letting Arcee see he's awake and clearly heard her orders. He gives her a light smile. Arcee takes notice and stands up. With two fingers to her forehead, she salutes him, "I leave you to your mission, Commander." Jazz just nods with a smirk. Not surprising that Springer would tell her.

Arcee drops her gaze once more to Miko, "I'm glad I'll be going back. I'll be over seeing Prime's protection again. I don't trust Hot Shot."

Miko finds the courage to tease the Warrior Goddess, "Arcee, you don't trust anyone."

Arcee smirks back, "I trust you with Ratchet's son." With that she waves and leaves closing the door behind her. She won't let Miko watch her walk away with her head dropped fighting back her own tears.

Miko turns around and Jazz sits up opening his arms wide. Miko rushes into them and clings to him tightly. He lets her just cry clutching her head to his naked chest. Miko never cries. Sure she cried over the loss of their daughter and now the last 'Bot from her first mission is being reassigned. Tough and cocky Miko has come down a few notches lately….but only with him.

Jazz soothes her grateful he can be here for her and actually holder like she needs. Now he understands the other reason Springer had ordered him _home._ He knew Miko would need consoling. Jazz kneads his fingers into her nape wondering how Springer was doing. Burring his face into her hair, he too lets off his own tears.

Woman crying in his arms he is no stranger to, but normally it was because he had grown tired of them. He was a player. He broke more hearts between Quebec's Space Design Program and the Kennedy Space Center than they had launched rockets. Very few had spent the night with him. He wouldn't take the risk of siring. Now here he is trying desperately trying to sire with the one and only woman who haunted his dreams for years.

Holding her even closer ponders. He knew plenty of human Christians. His mother used to pray to Primus and swear by the powers of the All Spark, but no one had ever talked about these beings his mother had spoken of. Not until he found out Alexis' stories were all true. Here he could talk openly about Primus and the All Spark as well as God.

Now he found his whole universe in his palms. Weather they be his human palms or (glancing to the corner) his metallic palms. He finds himself bowing his head and praying to a higher power to protect Miko and her heart. Praying harder that their next child will survive to adulthood.

Miko finds herself clutching him tighter praying for Jazz's safety and for the linage of their family. She also finds herself soon falling to sleep in the safety and comfort of her husband's arms. She has fought this war in both stealth and in violence side by side with her metallic friends for a very long time. Never did she think she would have a chance to save their race by falling in love with one of their own. She feels like she could hear Ratchet's soft and comforting voice telling her that all would be alright. Just like that time she took a really bad wong dune bashing with Bulkhead. Comfortable, safe, encouraged…. Loved. Home.

* * *

By the next afternoon, the couple is enjoying lounging in each other's arms sharing the little fruit and fudge Springer had slipped into their quarters while they slept the night before. Jazz picks at the silk sheets, "What is with all the silk?"

Miko turns to his stunned, "Hello, I am Japanese. Duh." He shakes his head smiling at her so relaxed answer. So she turns to him and crosses her arms, "Okay, big fancy executive, don't tell me you didn't have the finest furnishings. I saw them."

He waves an apple slice at her, "Maybe I had leather furniture, but not silk sheets, silk shirts, silk underwear, etcetera, etcetera."

She leans in to him and smirks teasing his adoptive heritage, "Fine then, Canadian. What is considered nice?"

He turns to her with his glowing eyes, "For your information, I was conceived and born during a blizzard. Does that answer your question? Fleece, cotton and wool. Duh!" and sticks his tongue out at her.

She chokes on her orange, "Blizzard?"

He narrows his gaze, "I thought you did all kinds of research about me. I thought you knew everything about me."

She trails a finger down his dump truck scar covered over with the tattoo of a double open ended wrench, "Seems there is always something new to learn about you, Jazzol Praxis Mecanico. I still want to know about that middle name."

"My mother's home town. Orion carries my father's. I'm sure you know the cities of Cybertron?." He takes another large bite of fudge and savors the taste. Miko flushes to the fact that she didn't pay attention to Cybertronian geography. "Yes, my mother fondly reminds us that we were born during a blizzard."

Miko settles down to her stomach tucking the pillow under her chest ready for his story. When he doesn't start right away she gives him a foul look. He chuckles and then settles down into a likewise pose. He waves the fudge at her, "This story is told much better with a big cup of hot tea before a roaring fireplace snuggled deep in warm comforters."

Miko chuckles, "Yeah well tell the 'Cons that. It's their fault you are stuck in a titanium can naked under silk sheets with me."

Jazzol can't help but laugh heartily, he's anything _but_ displeased about his present accommodations. Then takes a deep sigh, "Alright, my mother said this was one of her favorite stories, but I know the prequel is really her favorite." He leans over with a knowing smile and gives her a delicious kiss to which his father had probably instigated his conception..

She enjoys it and then pulls back slowly, "Trying to get out of telling me the story, are you?"

He chuckles, "Not at all, just leading up to it." He smirks back and takes another drink of the champagne. "So, there was this kid who was really hurting in an out of way town. My mom went to help him, against her doctor's orders. You know, doctors really are the worst patients, according to Starlex." Miko joins his laugh and then shoves him to go on. "Alright alright. So here my mom was, back at her hotel room stranded on the way to the remote town. She got lucky enough to find a room before it got too bad. Keep in mind, my mother had never experienced childbirth. Sure some of her colleges had talked about it but she had no really frame of reference. Battle wounds and plague attacks, sure, but childbirth, ha!"

Miko thinks about that one for a moment. Not even Ratchet or Arcee talked about Cybertronian births. She had to learn about it later with the refugees.

"Yeah, I know that's not at all what she told us as kids, but it make sense now. I can tell you the unclassified version of the story now." Miko just nods. "So she feels these strange feelings like her guts being ripped out. She'd had her arms ripped off so she did have that reference."

Miko shoves him again to get on with it. He laughs, "Alright, so she called my father, being a medic. Now I know how, but he was off world and static was playing havoc with their communications….. Ratchet did his best to help his beloved with the assistance of a human but when all is said and done, Connie was on her own. She was alone in a strange room with only the light from the fireplace with the wind howling and growling outside. She said -later I read it in her own words- 'it was like screaming through an unstable wormhole while my body screamed in pain ripping my heart out. And just as bad, hearing Ratchet screaming with me frustrated at not being there to help me.' He kept saying he was sorry he wasn't there for her. She just told him to keep that com line open. So Orion arrived first. My mother wrapped him up and tried to describe him to my father as best as possible, but she didn't have time to wait. Less than five minutes later, I arrived. She got us cleaned up and hunkered down next to the fire to keep us all warm. Five minutes later, my father was in battle and she was alone with her sons. It was two days before anyone found her. Power was still out and the local phones were down. But she had us and according to the hospital -she finally made it to- we were fine too. My mom did the little boy's surgery with much assistance and then headed back home with us. So, every time there is a blizzard or we get snowed in, my mom bundled us up next to the fire with a bowl of fruit and fudge."

Miko is curious waving the fruit, "Why that?"

Jazz smirks, "As kids, we didn't ask. She just said it was a fond memory of a time with our father. As teens we figured it was probably something more. When she died, I found out why."

Miko doesn't move waiting for the answer. "You know," he tells her. She shakes her head. "She dragged his sorry damaged body back to her secluded barn and shot him with the human virus, turning him into a human like herself. Hello? Nearly a week trapped in a barn and blizzard together. You read enough mush novels, I saw them in your stuff. You know…." He leans in, "They were passionately in love and had a very short window of time together. They took it and made the best of it." He quirks a slight arrogant smirk to himself.

This time she is ready for the story to be over. She leans in and runs a lingering hand across the small of his back, "No, I don't understand. Educate me."

He pushes the dish away and then curls his hand around the back of her neck tilting it back so he can kiss her exposed throat. The champagne's intoxication spell is nothing compared to the spell her husband's lips have over her whole body. All the champagne did was make it harder for her to silence her cries of ecstasy. Everybody left on Xenon knew what was happening in the chief medic's personal quarters and the occupants didn't care.

* * *

The three day leave had the desired result. Miko dove into her work patching security networks and reprogramming the planet's computer networks. She was about four months along when Xenon finally pulled out. They hadn't been out far when they ran into the next mission. Xenon became an emergency assistance ship while trying to make it back to Cybertron to resupply. With a laugh, Prime changed their status. Most members of the crew were happy to do this work. But Springer was getting anxious. He really wanted to get back to Arcee. It almost got to the point of brooding.

* * *

By the time the twin daughters Xioshi and Yokima arrived, Springer had becoming a grouchy hermit. No one spoke to him unless absolutely necessary. When push came to shove, he was a good leader and completely focused, but with out a mission, he was sullen and quiet. Someone even had the gall one day to snicker, (a little too loud and a little too close to Springer) "Geez, should we just start calling him Optimus?"

Springer speared them with his gaze, "Maybe he had a good reason to remain silent and withdrawn." With that, Springer left the commissary and sealed himself inside his quarters.

He didn't come back out until the barrage of panzer blasts began pelting the hull. Swiftly the situation was dealt with and then back to his quarters he went.

Jazz pulled Miko into their quarters one night. "Do you have much access to Prime?"

Miko shakes her head, "I haven't dealt with Rodimus much."

Jazz sighs, "We've got to do something. He's beginning to drive everyone crazy."

Miko tucks Xioshi a little tighter into her bassinet, "I may not have any connections to Prime, but let me see if I can reach Kup." Jazz nods.

Whatever Miko said, helped. Because within a few days, Skyfire was back. He was dropping off a new commander, Kick Start, and taking Springer back to Cybertron. Something about an intense search going on and needing his specialty. Meanwhile Xenon was to continue on to a distant planet and set up a base.

* * *

Within a year of the twins birth, Jazz noticed something else about his body. When he switched from 'Bot to human, his human side was having a harder and harder time coming around. And he seemed so tired.

Waiting a few years after their third daughter is born, he finally talks securely with First Aide, not wanting to scare Miko. First Aide reminded Jazz of his human age vs. 'Bots who have a much longer life expectancy. Sinking into the chair, a new reality sinks into his heart/spark. He will probably out live his own children if he stayed as a 'Bot, but if he stayed as a human, he might not last a year. Experiments and transfusions and other things he was able to stave it off for many years. Finally, he just spent more and more time as a 'Bot and Miko said nothing. She noticed it, but refused to bring up the same issue Connie and Ratchet had faced.

More time passes and the girls grow up to me active members of Xenon's team. They were no fools either, they knew what was happening.

Unknown to Jazz, First Aide had put Miko on with a blind conference call. She heard this conversation. There were looks that passed between First Aide and Miko. Miko would have to convince Jazz to stay as a 'Bot…permanently. She signs off and starts her plans.

Just about that time the human doctor came back with notice for Miko, (now in her sixties), she was terminal. Exposure to the radiation during one of her earlier flights before she met Jazzol, is now back coming to haunt her. She doesn't have much time, but he has lots. There is no limit to him in his 'Bot form, but she doesn't know how to tell him. She has done her best to hide it, but now her children are asking about their mother's failing health.

Miko makes a final call, "Springer, Kup, I need you to take Jazzol off Xenon for a few months."

Springer can see the change in her appearance is more than just age. "Miko?"

She wipes a silent tear away, "The children already know. But I know that if he tries to come back to me, he will never come back to you. He hasn't got the strength."

Kup knows all too well how she feels, "Alright, but you must leave him a message." She nods. Kup puts his hand up in blessing, "Be at peace Commander Miko Mechano." She smiles at him using her military and married name together.

Springer has watched far too many humans die for so many reasons. All he can do is smile at her strength. Miko knows he has no words for her. So she just holds up her peace sign. He gives it back and then Miko closes it off.

A couple days later, Jazz comes to Miko and smiles, "Hey, Skyfire is coming over and they asked me to run down to Heron 5 for a medical check. Wanna come?"

Miko smiles, "Can't. Skyfire is also bringing a patch for the hydroponics bay. I've got to see to the installation. Why don't you take Zephyr. I know she would love it."

"Okay." But something nags him as he heads out the door, "Miko, is everything okay?"

Miko smiles up at him reassuringly, "Fine. I feel very peaceful. Things are good right now. Go have some fun."

He narrows his gaze, "Looking for rustic lice is not my idea of fun." She laughs at him. Just last week the humans had an outbreak of lice. Not fun! He leans over and gives her a zephyr like kiss on her head and turns.

"Jazzol, I love you very much." She manages to get out without choking.

He turns back, "And I love you even more."

She smiles, "I'll have fudge waiting for your return."

He points a finger at her, "You better."

* * *

But when he returned a month later, that's not all he found in his quarters. With Zephyr on his shoulder they laughed their way into the quarters. "Miko, we're home." On his bunk, beside a box of fudge is Miko's urn. A metallic canister that their grown twin children had engraved some of Miko's favorite things. Rock music, pink streaks, combat boots. In Miko's own writing she inscribed, "To the only partner better than Bulkhead."

Jazzol sink to his knees and looks to his twin daughters on either side of the urn. Together they all weep. She set him up for a mission of mercy so he wouldn't sulk while she died. Too much life in her to go out watching people pine over her. That afternoon, Zephyr and Jazzol added their own markings to the canister. And then Jazzol was given Miko's last recording.

She looked awful. Tubes and wires. Everything she hated to see on herself. "Jazzol, please don't be mad because I would be mad if you had been here. I love you and the children. The greatest gift we ever could have gotten. I understand Connie very well. I understand very much why she push and made Ratchet go do his duty. And you know it too. Go. Live the legacy of your parents. Take our children with you. Teach them what we did. Tell them everything. Hide nothing. Life is too short for secrets. I never made our love a secret."

Watching the screen fade out as Miko turns her face away, he looks down to his own legacies. Three daughters as spunky and smart as himself and Miko combined.

Not for one moment has he been sorry that Miko had watched over him. Not for one moment has he ever questioned her love for him. Not once did they ever argue about work and duty because they did it together. And even now, death will not stop them. No, he will just keep going.

Happily, Jazzol does just that.

* * *

Yeah yeah I know, a fast quick wrap up. Sorry guys but I didn't want it to suck with meaningless frivolies. Spring and Arcee will return in something else I have planned. There is a single chapter in One Shots for them.


End file.
